NorthPoint - November, 2016

The 3 November release of the film Hacksaw Ridge offers members of the Seventhday Adventist Church an unprecedented witnessing opportunity, according to Pastor Justin Lawman, President of the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference.

Pastor Lawman says, “I can never remember a Hollywood movie where the main story is about a Seventh-day Adventist who is faithful and obedient to God. This is an unparalleled opportunity that God can use and I believe God has orchestrated it all. I heard about Hacksaw Ridge when I went to the It Is Written Oceania partner weekend where Garry Kent and John Bradshaw spoke about the powerful impact the movie had on them, so I thought we should do something about it. My love for evangelism means I get very excited by these chances where we can use God-given opportunities to direct people to the source of faith, and the reason for dependence and obedience.”

This led to Pastor Lawman calling Nic Coutet into his office. Nic, the Project Manager for the NNSW Conference, was asked to put together a team to develop a public and internal strategy to promote Adventism through Hacksaw Ridge — a strategy that would eventually land on Hacksaw Ridge director Mel Gibson’s desk. Not long after this, Kalvin Dever, CEO of the Adventist Media Network (AMN), Pastor Cristian Copaceanu, Director of Personal Ministries for the Australian Union Conference (AUC), Pastor Lawman and Nic became the core project team of this exciting opportunity to promote our faith.

Since then, the team has a completed a strategy that aims to influence people’s response to the movie, directing their attention to the faith of Private Desmond Doss. This goal will be realised by the coordination of a focused website <www.faithofdoss.

In this issue:

com> along multiple media platforms. NNSW and AMN have developed a marketing strategy that will target people who have watched the movie, with consistent messaging directing them to the website where they will find more information about Doss’s faith and his beliefs — our beliefs.

Directed by Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge tells the remarkable true story of Doss, an Adventist man who served in World War II, the first conscientious objector in American history to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The army medic braved bullets, grenades and snipers while single-handedly evacuating the wounded from behind enemy lines.

Responsible of the “internal campaign,” managing a coordinated approach for church members willing to take advantage of this opportunity, Pastor Copaceanu said the film offers Adventists a rare opportunity to share their faith with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.

“For the first time, millions will be exposed to the quality and character of the Seventh-day Adventist faith — a faith not of the world, but in it to its very miry depths,” he said.

“We have launched this internal campaign, ‘One more, Lord,’ in order to encourage and equip members to use the movie’s publicity as a sowing opportunity. There are various things people can do, from sharing information on their social media accounts to holding a ‘Faith of Doss’ weekend at their local church.”

Nic is uncertain how the public will respond to the campaign. However, they plan to saturate every possible media platform directing any interest of the movie back to the website.

“It is likely that if many of our members like and share our website and social media posts that it will be the top ranking resource on the net,” he says.

(Continued on Page 3)

Page 2: From the President: The importance of

preaching prophecy

Page 5: Pathfinders “Taste and See” that God is good at camporee

Pages 6 and 7: Honours handed out at Homecoming

Page 9: School and church combine for Week of Worship with Ghetto Preacher

Hacksaw Ridge offers unparalleled opportunity to share the Faith of Doss

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From the President: The importance of preaching prophecy

We are living in very serious and uncertain times. There is an election looming in the United States that’s being regarded by many as the worst in history. There are all sorts of economic and social forebodings in the world, including the attacks on the institution of marriage. There are wars and civil unrest in many countries around the world, killing and displacing many.

People are in urgent need of something more — something that will change their lives for the better.

I think it’s a great time for Adventists to share our prophetic understanding from Scripture. In the community, there’s a desperate need for hope and something certain that we can trust. More than anything, Bible prophecy gives people hope and points them to Jesus as the answer to all of life’s questions.

As a young man, I remember wondering what to do with church and God, and flirting with the world. But prophecy really captured my imagination, and gave me a solid platform from which my faith could be made sure and certain. Bible prophecy is just as true today as it ever was. The predictive passages of Scripture will cause any sceptic to pause and a genuine seeker to really take notice.

Prophecy is not something that’s necessarily easy to discuss in a small group. It really needs a teacher and students. That’s why seminar-style evangelism or just straight old-fashioned preaching seems to serve these great Bible truths the best. Back in the day, we developed a little bit of spiritual indigestion with beast after beast, speculation and, at times, just plain old sensationalism, but there’s some big stuff happening in the world. A good old exegesis of these passages of Scripture will give our church members and people from the community great confidence that God is still leading, and that His plans and purposes will be fulfilled.

Dust off Daniel 7 — the four great kingdoms. Dust off Revelation 12 — God’s love for His church down through the ages. Dust off Revelation 14 and preach the Gospel to God’s people on Sabbath morning.

I would encourage churches all around our conference to plan events like prophecy seminars as we come to the end of 2016 and start the new year.

To those in the church who are somewhat embarrassed by our focus on prophecy or just want to take a brand of Adventism that never even acknowledges our prophetic understanding, just remember Who inspired these passages of the Bible. They come directly from the Holy Spirit and Jesus Himself is at the centre of all of them. Let’s get a renewed focus on preaching Jesus in all His fullness to the community, and sharing His unfailing love with the world.

What a great time to be alive!

— Pastor Justin Lawman

Chief Financial Officer’s report: September 2016

Tithe Steady

Tithe data for the period January to August 2016 is showing a modest increase of $338,000 on the same period last year. For this we praise God. The chart below shows how our monthly tithe has been tracking relative to budget. At the end of August, tithe was $160,000 ahead of budget.

Spending on track

In 2016, spending of tithe continues to be in line with budget forecasts (see chart below), with 56 per cent of tithe being spent on frontline ministers, Bible workers and evangelism.

We have now exceeded our goal of spending 55 per cent of tithe on frontline mission. We believe that, according to Scripture, spending of tithe on local church staff and evangelism is the highest, best use of tithe.

The promise

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” — Malachi 3:10.

— Russell Halliday

Hacksaw Ridge offers unparalleled opportunity to share the Faith of Doss

(Continued from Page 1)

He adds, “Our public strategy is significantly focused on transitioning interests to ‘engaged’ in a Bible study, live talks on Desmond’s faith, and ultimately connecting people with us — you and me! A media campaign won’t do it alone. We’ve got to get out there share the website.”

A media campaign — including TV ads, radio and print articles, and social media — has been developed to create positive community awareness about Doss’s faith.

It will point people to the website <www. faithofdoss.com>, which features a comprehensive package of video and print resources focusing on the story and faith of Doss. The website will also contain Bible study guides and special offers. The project team is optimistic about how the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of people who have seen the film. “Ultimately we hope it will lead people to Jesus,” Pastor Copaceanu said.

— Nic Coutet/Tracey Bridcutt

* Hacksaw Ridge opened in cinemas in Australia on 3 November. For more information on how you can share the faith of Desmond Doss, visit <www.faithofdoss.com>

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How you can get involved with the Faith of Doss campaign

By now, your church should have received a Faith of Doss pack, which includes the flyer pictured above. This flyer will give you all sorts of information about the Faith of Doss campaign, as well as how you can share your faith with anyone who wants to know more.

Hacksaw Ridge is a powerful portrayal not only of Private Desmond Doss’s faith, but also of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and many of its core beliefs. This means we have an opportunity to share our faith with those who watch the film, enjoy it and are inspired to find out more.

Our pastors are prepared for the Faith of Doss campaign, with many of them attending preview screenings of Hacksaw Ridge on 18 and 19 October. Pastors in the southern region of the conference joined with others from the Greater Sydney Conference to view the film in Newtown, while pastors in the northern region headed up to Southport in Brisbane to watch Hacksaw Ridge with ministers from the South Queensland Conference.

In addition to the public campaign, which aims to influence people’s response to the movie by directing them to the faith that Doss had, you can play your part by joining the internal Faith of Doss campaign. How do you do this? Well, there are a variety of ways!

You can talk to friends who have seen the movie and answer questions they have about your faith. There will be Bible study guides available as well, which you can use if people are keen to find out more about what the Bible says about things like the Sabbath, prayer, the origin of evil and death.

You can also direct them to the <www.faithofdoss.com> website where they can sign up to receive a free copy of Hero of Hacksaw Ridge, which is an abridged version of Booton Herndon’s biography of Desmond Doss called The Unlikeliest Hero

Churches can also organise Faith of Doss weekends or events if they want — suggestions for these include screening the documentary The Conscientious Objector, talks on who Adventists are, or joining together to watch livestreamed events on the <www. faithofdoss.com> website.

There’s never been a better time to share your faith!

NorthPoint

Photos of Desmond Doss courtesy of the Desmond Doss Council. Photos from Hacksaw Ridge courtesy of Icon/Summit Entertainment LLC © 2016 Summit Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Inaugural Prayer Conference a blessing for attendees

The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy speak about a great revival (the Latter Rain) just before Jesus returns, and that God’s people coming together to pray will bring this about. So the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference had its first prayer conference over the long weekend of 30 September to 2 October at the Stuarts Point Convention Centre. More than 200 people attended from all parts of NNSW, but there were also those from further afield — including some from as far away as South Australia.

The main speaker was Pastor Roy Rugless from the South Central Conference in the USA (pictured above with Colin Hone, Director of Prayer Ministries for the NNSW Conference). Pastor Rugless spoke on how we are all “messed up” and how we need to ask God to reveal our true self, which has to be done so we can repent and pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit and have Christ living in us.

Pastor Ben Rea spoke on prayer and fasting from a biblical perspective, and that there is a promised blessing of drawing closer to God — and not just from losing weight! Justin and Celia from Hillview Church gave their testimony on how prayer is transforming their church. Hillview members have been meeting every morning at 5.30am for prayer for more than 18 months. Pastor Marcus Mundall spoke about how prayer changed his heart to love the unlovable at his church, and how Kingscliff and Kempsey Churches grew as praying churches. He noted that one of the big reasons we need to pray is to ask God to change our hearts so He can send people to us. Colin spoke on Christ’s mission and methods for His last day church, and how prayer is a major component of winning souls.

Colin says, “Many people have gone back to their churches to encourage them to meet and pray for revival early in the morning to change their hearts in preparation for the harvest. Since the conference, Wallsend Church has begun a ‘30 Days of Prayer for Revival’ series at 5.30am every morning and 18 people turned up, and Lakeside Church started a ‘10 Days of Prayer’ series at 5.00am to 6.00am, then they extended it to 20 days.”

If you missed out on this year’s Prayer Conference, you can watch the presentations under the Prayer Ministries tab on the NNSW Conference website — <http://nnsw/adventist.org.au/prayer-ministries>.

— Colin Hone/NorthPoint

Pathfinders “Taste and See” that God is good at camporee

More than 500 people attended the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference’s Pathfinder Camporee, held in late September at Eungai Creek. Clubs came from all over the conference for the camporee. Avondale Memorial had the largest group (80 people), while Grafton had the smallest group (10 people). The other clubs in attendance were: Central Coast, Coffs Harbour, Footprints, Lakeside, Lismore, Macksville (with some members of the Kempsey Pathfinder Club joining them), Murwillumbah, Newcastle Multicultural, Northern Tablelands, Port Macquarie, Southlakes and Wallsend.

Pastor Nick Kross, Director of Youth Ministries for the South Pacific Division, was the guest speaker for the weekend, which had the theme of “Taste and See” (taken from Psalm 34:8 and the Pathfinder theme for the entire year).

Pastor Rick Hergenhan, Director of Youth Ministries for the NNSW Conference, says, “Nick spoke on the theme and used a lot of personal stories — not just his own, but also of people he’d met in his years of ministry who had tasted and seen that God was real, and the changes that had made in their lives.”

Pastor Kross made a very specific appeal at the camporee — one that reflected the fact that most of the kids who were there and who attend Adventist schools had just finished their schools’ week of worship events — asking those who had never before made the decision to be baptised to come forward if they felt God was leading them to do so. Pastor Michael Chapman, Associate Director of Youth Ministries for the NNSW Conference, says, “Five kids who had never had the chance to commit to baptism before came forward.”

The music for the camporee was provided by the Wallsend Pathfinder Club, who did an “excellent job.” Lakeside Pathfinder Club did the drama — with the help of Graeme Frauenfelder — and used a Masterchef theme. In addition to wonderful worships, there was a Saturday night bonfire and glow-stick capturethe-flag event, which was followed by a variety of activities on the Sunday. Pathfinders rotated through activity stations that explored the five senses, before combining for a big activity in the afternoon — a huge all-in waterfight with water balloons, water slides and powder paint. The weekend then wrapped up with the closing parade.

Pastor Hergenhan says, “It was a very successful weekend. We want to say thank you to all of the staff who were involved, and all of the club leaders for the work they do to get their clubs there. A big thanks go to James and Janet Bilson, and Steve and Hanni Bilson. James and Janet own the property the camporee was held on. They aren’t Adventists, but they made the property available for everyone to use.”

Pastor Chapman adds, “It was really good of them to let 500 Pathfinders use their place! We’d also like to give a big thanks to the Stuarts Point Convention Centre — they were really helpful and gave us access to equipment.”

— Adele Nash

Photos courtesy of Paul Ginn

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Archaeology Roadshow set to become a reality

A long-held dream of Dr Wayne French, Chaplain at Avondale College of Higher Education (pictured, left), is set to become reality with the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference joining with other entities to provide funds to make the Archaeology Roadshow — an archaeological display housed in a semi-trailer — happen. An artist’s impression of how the set-up will look is at the bottom of the page.

Dr French, who has run numerous programs in churches and schools that focus on the truth of the Bible as shown through archaeology, says, “God has certainly been blessing this project and I look forward to the way He will continue to bless.”

The semi-trailer for the project was purchased in September and the refurbishment project is about to start. When it is complete, the Archaeology Roadshow will provide an interactive multimedia exhibition that will display museum-quality artefacts.

The Roadshow team will work with the NNSW Conference to develop and launch a unique evangelistic resource that is accessible to schools and churches across the entire conference. Pastors and church members will also be able to get involved in tours, with options to serve as a volunteer with the team being made available. Dr French says this ties in to the General Conference’s total member involvement initiative, as well as the NNSW Conference’s focus on every member being a minister.

“Our mission is to provide biblical archaeology-focused teaching resources to high school teachers to implement in the modules on ancient civilisations for students — especially in Years 7 and 11,” says Dr French. “We’ll also showcase archaeological artefacts and stories that highlight that the God of the Bible continues to engage in human history on a personal, national and global level.”

Pastor Justin Lawman, President of the NNSW Conference, says, “Archaeology remains one of the best ways to bring to people’s minds that the Bible is a trustworthy book. I am very excited about the potential of this project.”

— Adele Nash

If you would like to provide support for the Archaeology Roadshow, please contact Dr Wayne French via <wayne. french@avondale.edu.au>

Honours handed out at Homecoming

At Avondale College of Higher Education’s Homecoming weekend in August this year, a number of church members and leaders from within the North New South Wales Conference region were honoured for their work. They are as follows:

Missionary “jill-of-all-trades”

Avondale alumna cited for all-round service in the South Pacific

She had promised to go where God called, and when the call to New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) came, Margaret Watts packed up her little family and followed. Together with husband Horrie, whom she married in 1951, the recipient of a citation from the Class of 1946 at Homecoming this year would serve in the Pacific for the next decade, raising the couple’s three children — Judith, Loren and Debbie — in the mission field.

Her nursing training at Sydney Adventist Hospital proved invaluable, and Margaret often took on the role of doctor when the need arose. On one occasion, only days after arriving, a man appeared on the Watts’ doorstep in pain — he needed a tooth removed. Relying only on Horrie’s one hour of dental training and a basic dentistry book, the two attempted to numb the jaw and remove the tooth while trying to communicate in Pidgin. “Just like removing a carrot from the ground!” they’d been told. As soon as they removed the tooth, the patient bolted for the door and didn’t return. A few weeks later he reappeared to thank them: “First time methink me go away and die!” It was the beginning of a journey that would see Margaret ministering to the needs of many and assisting as midwife for hundreds of births. In addition to her medical assistance, Margaret served with tenacity and courage in many other roles, including choir mistress, seamstress, hairdresser, and homeschool and Sabbath school teacher. On her return to Australia, Margaret continued ministering with Horrie, serving as matron at what is now Edinburgh College (Lilydale, Vic) and at Rossmoyne Adventist Retirement Village (WA). Her retirement has seen the publication of Dearest Folks a book based on the letters she sent home to family in Australia during her mission service. The Class of 1946 honours Margaret Watts for a life of service to the Adventist Church, particularly in the Pacific islands.

— Sara Bolst

Called to lead and to serve

The pastor who became an administrator, but always remained an evangelist Not many 16-year-olds can claim to have run an evangelistic series. The recipient of the 2016 Homecoming honour year citation for the Class of 1956 is one. Born in Tonga to missionary parents, Pastor Athal Tolhurst “grew up with an intense love and regard for the Word of God.” Running the series in Hamilton (NZ) with friend David Currie awakened in Pastor Tolhurst a “strong sense of God’s call” to dedicate his life to ministry and led him to Avondale. Studying at Avondale had another benefit — Pastor Tolhurst developed a relationship with music student Linley Willis. The two married in 1957. Graduating as class president with a Bachelor of Arts (Theology), Pastor Tolhurst’s first pastoral role was in Port Pirie,

South Australia, followed by roles in New South Wales and Western Australia. Three children soon joined the family — sons Dean and Wesley, and daughter Kerrie. From 1975, Pastor Tolhurst accepted roles as President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s North New South Wales Conference, as President of the Trans-Tasman Union Conference and as Secretary of the South Pacific Division. In 1991, the call came to serve as Undersecretary of the General Conference.

These administrative duties took Pastor Tolhurst around the world — he visited almost 100 countries before retiring in 2002. At an evangelistic series in Fiji where he preached with Pastor Aisake Kabu, Pastor Tolhurst recalls becoming so absorbed in his sermon he forgot to pause for translation. When he remembered, he turned to ask Kabu if he was keeping up, to which Kabu replied, “I’m OK — I’m ahead of you!” “To this day,” Pastor Tolhurst says, “I’m not sure whose sermons led the several hundred persons to decide for baptism — his or mine!”

The Class of 1956 honours Pastor Athal Tolhurst for his life of service to and ministry within the Adventist Church.

— Sara Bolst

My adventure in mission

Teacher cited for commitment to education and church ministry

Though attending Avondale was a “family expectation,” Narece Thapa (nee Charleson) saw her education as training for mission and adventure. Both came soon after Narece, the recipient of a citation from the Class of 1986 at Homecoming this year, graduated with a Bachelor of Education (English) in 1986. She would volunteer as a language teacher in Nepal for a year with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.

The next two years saw Narece teach at Lilydale Adventist Academy in Victoria before she returned to Nepal, this time working with the British Council. She married Mahesh Thapa in 1990 and taught language for the next five years in Kathmandu, with a prince of the Nepalese royal family as one of her pupils.

After the Thapas returned to Australia, Narece completed a Graduate Diploma of Education (TESOL) at the University of South Australia before beginning casual and part-time teaching at Central Coast Adventist School (CCAS). She received her Graduate Certificate of Education (Special Education) in 2001, and moved into a role in the special needs and the gifted and talented programs at the school, before becoming the Head of English in 2006. She continues to work at CCAS as an English teacher and a year coordinator.

As the mother of four boys — Kiran, Sunjay, Sachin and Tashi — Narece’s adult life “has been centred around my kids and their interests.” But she still finds time for hobbies and ministry and, in particular, prayer — Narece leads prayer teams at both Haven Campus Church and CCAS. Her continued goal in life: “Learning to pray God’s will into our family, school, community and church — and noticing what the Holy Spirit is doing.”

The Class of 1986 honours Narece Thapa for service to Adventist education and commitment to local church ministry.

— Sara Bolst

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The leader who’s growing a church

Minister discipling members to make meaningful engagement

He’s preached from Papua New Guinea to India to Russia, but like the One about whom he speaks, Pastor Justin Lawman began his adult life as a tradie. Pastor Lawman, the recipient of a citation from the Class of 1996 at Avondale College of Higher Education’s Homecoming this year, worked as the foreperson of a construction crew building stormwater and sewerage systems on the Sunshine Coast.

Then, encouraged by his church minister, Pastor Geoff Donovan, Pastor Lawman presented a sermon that would change his life’s focus. “Geoff asked me to preach and then told me to go to college,” Pastor Lawman says. “But the Holy Spirit was really the biggest influence.”

Pastor Lawman, the first in his family to complete tertiary education, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Theology) in 1996. He interned at the Seventh-day Adventist churches in Coffs Harbour and in Dorrigo before moving to Maclean and Grafton, the church at which he became an ordained minister in 2000. Calls to Port Macquarie, Camden Haven and Telegraph Point followed.

In 2005, Pastor Lawman and his family — wife Wendy and children Monica and Caleb — moved to Los Angeles (California, USA), where he ministered at the Community Adventist Fellowship.

On his return to Australia in 2008, Pastor Lawman accepted the role of Director of Personal Ministries for the Adventist Church in North New South Wales. He became President in 2011.

One of Pastor Lawman’s priorities as President: investing in people. The discipleship training program UR Church, which launched in February, is popular. The program aims to create healthier churches. Small groups play a significant role. Pastor Lawman says, “I would love the church in North New South Wales to experience real kingdom growth and to engage meaningfully with those in the community.” The investment seems to be working — giving at this year’s Big Camp broke records.

The Class of 1996 honours Pastor Justin Lawman for leading a church that is passionate about reaching the unchurched.

— Sara Bolst

Like the NNSW Conference on Facebook!

We’ve well and truly cracked the 500 likes mark on Facebook for the North New South Wales Conference page. But we’d love to connect with more of our church members on there, as there is a lot of content we publish on Facebook that you’re missing out on otherwise!

So like us — you’ll find us at <www.facebook.com/NNSWconference> — and you’ll get to see exclusive behind-the-scenes stories about things going on in the office, find out more about upcoming events, watch a variety of videos, explore employment opportunities and much, much more.

OUR CHURCHES

Taree’s

Hymns of Praise

Hymns of Praise has been a regular, tri-monthly program in the Taree Church for the past 10 years. Pastor Lyndon Thrift is the arranger of these events at which the audience enjoys singing along.

Gold-coloured flyers in stores, public libraries and letter-boxes, plus radio announcements, have invited the public to attend the programs woven into narratives.

This year, Taree hosted an Easter Hymns of Praise, entitled “He Is Risen.” The next one in June described the journey of the redeemed to the Holy City, and their triumphal entry, named “Home at Last.” With CD accompaniment, the audience very much appreciated the opportunity to sing “The Hallelujah Chorus.”

The latest one was in September and titled “The Lover and the Beloved,” with songs of God’s love. Vocalists, piano, organ and string, woodwind and brass musicians provide the accompaniment.

— Pastor Lyndon Thrift/Bernice Pannekoek

Four baptisms at Lismore

Another successful CHIP at Hillview

Back in July, the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) Planning team at Hillview Church were excited to have more than 50 participants register for the 2016 CHIP. They were even more excited when they realised that a large portion of the participants were community members.

During the series, team leader Dr Trevor Hurlow and other presenters outlined many principles of living a healthy lifestyle. Part of a healthy lifestyle is exercise. During the series, each participant’s daily steps were counted and collated into the equivalent number of kilometres. The group’s amassed total was around one-and-a-half trips around the coast of Australia!

One night, Dr Hurlow asked some of the group to read the ingredients list from a set of packaged foods on which labels had been covered. The group was to vote on the best packaged food. The surprise for everyone was that dog food was actually a healthier option than several foods packaged for humans! Read the labels to determine the ingredients and how good that product is for you!

A CHIP series does not run itself, and this program had a large team of very devoted volunteers from kitchen hands, table hosts, cooking demonstrators and assistants, exercise leader, AV support and, of course, the very capable presenters.

A nightly feature was the cooking demonstration. Thanks to the team of women who worked so hard preparing, demonstrating and serving the food each night. Many superb recipes were demonstrated and samples given to all participants for tasting.

At the beginning of the 19-session series, all participants were weighed, had blood pressures checked and had blood tests. That was repeated again toward the end of the series and the numbers compared.

The results were quite startling.

As a group, the risk of a heart attack dropped by 40 per cent. Individual weights dropped by an average of 2.7 kilograms, sugar levels dropped an average of 7.6 per cent, and the bad LDL cholesterol level dropped by an average of 15.9 per cent.

The youngest participant — a nine-year-old — was determined to follow everything that was taught to the letter. At the end of the series, a weight loss of five kilograms was reported! Another older participant began CHIP with an insulin dependency of 200. By the end of the series, he happily reported that it had dropped to 80.

The series closed with a massive CHIP-style pot luck tea and graduation program to which participant’s families and friends were invited.

Was CHIP a success? Yes. The average health improvements over just a couple of months, were fantastic and everyone enjoyed trying new recipes, but the friendships formed will last forever. If you want to do something for your community, run a CHIP series.

On Saturday, 24 September, Lismore Church celebrated four baptisms. It was an exciting day for the church to witness each one give their lives and make a commitment to Jesus.

The youngest member to be baptised — Lynkane Stevens-Kowald — began asking questions about Jesus a couple of years ago, which started the family coming to church. Joy Hall, one of the elders at Lismore Church, has been studying with the family for most of the year, which led to Lynkane’s mother and brother also being baptised.

It was just as exciting for family and friends to witness their prayers being answered with David Jung being led by the Spirit to commit his life to his Lord and Saviour also.

— Sheree and Tim Merritt

— Alvin Christian

From left to right: David Jung, Klayton Stevens-Kowald, Lynkane Stevens-Kowald, Myrtle Shelford (Lismore Church elder), Susan McPherson and Joy Hall (Lismore Church elder)

OUR CHURCHES

School and church combine for Week of Worship with Ghetto Preacher

God’s Spirit moves and is alive! Pastor Willy Ramos (the Ghetto Preacher) spoke in his inimitable style to the students and community of Avondale School for their Week of Worship series in mid-September. Pastor Willy talks real fast and his stories, anecdotes and quotes from the Bible and Desire of Ages are delivered in quick secession and quick-fired at the audience!

The students of Avondale loved his dynamic preaching, his big personality and his message. Each day, he closed with a call to have 60 students stand and declare in front of their peers for baptism, which was a Godblessed declaration. On another occasion, all the staff were called on to declare their allegiance to God and Pastor Willy invited Principal Dr David Faull to pray over them.

The evening meetings — called “The Bridge” and organised by the Lake Macquarie area youth team — were popular, with great music and a community focus. Many parents came to hear “The Man” that their children were coming home and talking about. On the Friday night and Sabbath that closed out the week, an overflow of youth, supported by the conference Youth Department, were drawn close to God.

Michelle Robinson, who works in the Secondary Campus of Avondale School, was impressed by the Week of Worship series and writes:

Known as “The Ghetto Preacher,” Miami, Florida’s Pastor Willy Ramos talked straight and delivered a positive message about God’s love for each of us at Avondale School’s Week of Worship. He didn’t pull any punches when it came to sharing his perspective on this world’s “sin problem” and imploring each of us to make the right choice about Jesus being the “award-winning” director of our lives.

It was pretty hard not to love Willy and his passion for the cross — when he called staff to recommit their lives one morning, it was moving to see so many of the Secondary Campus staff come forward; the following day, more than 60 of our student body made a decision to be baptised, and acknowledged Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

A baptism 30 years in the making

“30 years in the making….” Joey explaining to Dawn Townend, the head deaconess at Hillview Church, what his wife’s baptism — which was just about to take place — meant to him. Joey and Anne had been married for 20 years, but they had known each other for a further 10 years when they worked together in an electrical company in the Philippines. Anne was attending the Baptist Church at the time, after having moved from her childhood church, the Roman Catholic Church, in a country that still is predominantly Catholic.

She recalls a time as a young Baptist woman when Jesus became so real to her that, one day while attending a week of prayer meeting at school, she gave her life to Him. She had been so overcome by the Saviour’s love and power that day that she only realised that she had answered the altar call when she was already standing with others at the front — how she had moved from where she had been sitting in the congregation still remains a mystery.

Eager to grow as young a Christian, Anne fell in love with the word of God. Joey became the God-sent friend at work who answered her many Bible questions and started giving her some Bible studies. It was then that Joey’s personal ministry became

Sponsored not only by the school and Gateway Church, but by the North New South Wales Conference Youth Department, Pastor Willy also spoke over three nights during the course of the week, culminating in a Sabbath morning program. Many of our community had the chance to be enthralled by Willy’s humour, stories and message of hope in these out-of-school events.

Pastor Willy was supported by an awesome worship team, and we were privileged each and every meeting to have special music presented by different students from the school.

What an amazing week was had by all in attendance. God showed up in a mighty way and blessed us beyond imagination! We truly pray for His Spirit to continue guiding our students and staff as they choose to follow the Way, the Truth and the Life!

— Kerrie Howells/Michelle Robinson

very personal as the two fell in love. But at the time when in the Philippines Adventists were despised as some weird sect, Anne expected her Catholic parents to object to her idea of marrying an Adventist. In an amazing answer to prayer, her parents offered no resistance and the two were married in 1996.

Though being married to an Adventist would have meant expectations to join the Adventist Church and bring the children up under one faith, it was not to be until on Sabbath, 1 October when Anne finally sealed her forever friendship with Jesus with a baptism that was attended by her husband, Joey, her two children Janika and Josh, and friends and members of the Hillview Church family!

Anne’s decision came about after the Hillview’s Pastor Fred Chileshe discovered, during a pastoral visit with the family, that though she had been coming along to Hillview Church with her husband, she wasn’t actually baptised. It was then that he began sharing the Beyond the Search DVDs with Anne, which led to weekly Bible studies, and finally to her decision to be baptised.

God is faithful and patient with all of us. It is my prayer that those many other people who have been coming along to our churches for years without committing to Jesus in a forever friend will receive the help and guidance they need to make Jesus Lord and Saviour of their lives forever. Congratulations Anne on your baptism and forever friendship with Jesus!

— Pastor Fred Chileshe

OUR SCHOOLS

Spring Fair success for Macquarie College

The Macquarie College Spring Fair was held on Sunday, 11 September, attracting almost 1000 visitors throughout the day to explore the many class-hosted stalls and events, live music performances, the Room 31 cafe, the 2016 Art Show, 3D printing demonstrations, food and beverage vendors, market stalls, and — of course — a fantastic selection of rides and games for kids of all ages.

This biennial event is a major community gathering and PTA fundraising event. The fair was an exceptional day to welcome staff, families and visitors to the Macquarie College campus in a social environment, to enjoy the sunny weather and also the generous hospitality on offer.

The 2016 Fair was made possible through the outstanding efforts of the college PTA volunteers, staff members and families who all contributed to the coordination and hosting of the event, along with the generous support of the many sponsors and suppliers.

— Michelle Slack-Smith

Avondale School teachers never

The idea behind STEM is based on educating students in four specific disciplines — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Rather than teaching those four disciplines as separate subjects, STEM assimilates them into a cohesive learning model based on real-world applications. The teachers at Avondale School are committed to helping their students develop real-life skills as 21st century learners.

Andrew Cameron, the Director of eLearning at Avondale School’s Cooranbong campus,

stop learning

is excited by how much STEM has been embraced and the enthusiasm teachers have shown to learning the best way to incorporate it into their daily lesson plans. Avondale School now has two dedicated MakerSpace areas for staff and students to use: the Primary campus uses a double classroom space for lessons and this space is also utilised for lunchtime learning, where groups of interested students can meet and explore activities in any of the disciplines. For Secondary students who wish to further pursue STEM-related activities outside of their normal classroom lessons, they can do so during their lunch breaks in the iCentre, and engage with other students and teachers who share the same desire for hands-on problem-solving fun.

Andrew, along with STEM Specialist Teacher Dale Skinner, recently conducted a STEM personal development exercise with a group of Avondale School’s Primary staff. Teachers from each grade were given a challenge and asked to work together to come up with a creative solution. The challenge was to create a lightweight structure that could carry a heavy load, but remain flexible enough to withstand a simulated earthquake. The group also worked together to modify learning programs with the goal of incorporating authentic STEM based activities, using the Primary MakerSpace room as a teaching and learning resource. The group also took time to investigate the importance of MakerSpaces, as places of hands on, collaborative problem-based learning.

— Kerrie Howells

Back row from left to right: Andrew Cameron, Dale Skinner.

Front row from left to right: Megan Hobson, Fiona Watson, Jeannie Lawrence, Di Roberts and Kelly de Martin

FEATURES

Review: Food As Medicine

Disclaimer: I love cookbooks. Particularly ones about healthy cooking. This is quite a contrast to the way I used to be about four years ago, where I was big (literally) into decadently unhealthy food.

So when I was lucky enough to have a sneak peek of Food As Medicine: Cooking For Your Best Health the other month, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of my own. The Signs Publishing Company team were kind enough to send me a copy when it was released. It was worth the wait!

This thick hardcover recipe book by dietician Sue Radd is more than a cookbook. Food As Medicine is a “comprehensive introduction to cooking food as medicine in your kitchen.” It features 150 plant-based recipes that all sound as amazing as they look — and believe me, the food photography throughout Food As Medicine is excellent.

The recipes are all simple, healthy and don’t involve 40,000 obscure ingredients you can only find in specialist shops. There have long been complaints that preparing healthy food takes a lot of time, effort and money, but Sue has made the recipes in Food As Medicine very accessible, which means there are no excuses not to give them a try.

Some of my favourite recipes include roasted vegetables on couscous with Moroccan dressing, cannellini bean and carrot soup with parsley, chocolate truffle cakes with raspberries, caramel date sauce, and sunflower seed sour cream. They’re delicious and simple — I mean, that caramel sauce has two ingredients and takes next to no effort.

Apart from the beautiful layout and simplicity of the recipes, what I really enjoyed about Food As Medicine is that it focuses on plant-based nutrition — something that’s not only healthy for you, but also better for the environment. Additionally, recipes can easily be altered for dietary tastes too, such as for if you’re gluten or lactose intolerant. But there are plenty of gluten- and lactose-free recipes in Food As Medicine anyway!

There are also seasonal menu plans that will help you to make the most of the recipes in the book. And before you get started on cooking them all, there is an eminently practical guide to making over your kitchen, pantry, fridge and freezer so your healthy lifestyle change will be more easily sustained. Sue also provides comprehensive health information, explaining the latest scientific health research. The “More Detailed Health Information” section at the back of the book is excellent, and it’s followed by “Helpful Notes on Various Foods,” which explains just what makes the fruits, vegetables, grains and other foods used in this book so good for you.

Whether you’re looking to make some healthy changes to your diet, want to lose weight or need some new food inspiration, Food As Medicine is a great place to start. I would recommend adding it to your Christmas wishlist — it might just help with that stereotypical New Year’s resolution of wanting to lose weight!

— Adele Nash

Find out more about Food As Medicine on Facebook — <www.facebook.com/ FoodAsMedicineBook>

Food As Medicine: Cooking For Your Best Health

Sue Radd

396 pages Signs Publishing Company, 2016