with Peter Jeynes

>2

Top: Doug Batchelor, main speaker,

Amazing Facts. Above: Jean Ross, direc-

tor of Evangelism, Am

azing Facts, with

Pastor McFarlane. Left: Pastor Ian

Sweeney asks the questions. Far left: Part

of the Sabbath congregation.by Jeff N

icholson, Comm

unication director, NEC,

with Peter Jeynes

Photos: Victor Hulbert, Peter Jeynes

The North England Conference, in conjunctionwith Am

azing Facts ministry, presented for the

first time an evangelistic program

me broadcast

to the world via satellite and the internet on the3ABN television network. The program

me under the them

e ‘Streams of Light’

was held at the Bethel Convention Centre in West Bromwich and brought

together church mem

bers from all over Britain.

Doug Batchelor, president and director of Amazing Facts, was the preacher

for the three-night series and day of fellowship culminating on Sabbath 5

December. NEC president Ian

Sweeney, who served as one of thecom

pères, said of the series, ‘Itwas very interesting to see the

dynamics of broadcasting to a live TV audience. In broadcast m

inistry onesuddenly becom

es aware of the much greater potential im

pact of the service.Usually one focuses on the num

ber of people in a hall, but in this type of min-

istry one becomes aware of the m

uch larger audience that can be reached via internet stream

ing and satellite television. . . . In this one-and-a-half hour service the question tim

e and preaching took up one hour and fifteen

2 Messenger Messenger 3

thousand years to understand this. Our genera-tion is not unique in the fulfilment of most ofthe signs. This shows the wisdom of God inensuring that every generation since Jesusmade the promise to return has had constantreminders of the surety of the return of ourLord.

My understanding of what Jesus is saying inMatthew 24 is that life will continue as normalup to the time when he is about to come. Therewill be earthquakes and pestilences, wars,rumours of wars, persecution, impersonationsof Christ, marrying, giving in marriage, eating,drinking. He illustrates this by saying, ‘No oneknows about that day or hour, not even theangels in heaven, nor the Son, but only theFather. As it was in the days of Noah, so it willbe at the coming of the Son of Man. For in thedays before the flood, people were eating anddrinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up tothe day Noah entered the ark and they knewnothing about what would happen until the floodcame and took them all away. That is how it willbe at the coming of the Son of Man.’ (Matthew24:36-39.)

Some have taken marrying, giving in mar-riage, eating and drinking as some of the signsof the coming of Jesus. It seems a mistake tocome to such a conclusion. Jesus was merelyusing Noah’s generation as an illustration todrive home the point he was making. He wassimply saying here that before the flood lifecontinued as normal; people were marrying andgiving in marriage, eating and drinking, withoutregard to preparing for the predicted flood. Theyhad no idea when the flood would come until itcame. The sad thing was that they were nearlyall unprepared.

The lesson to be drawn from the Noah storyis that before the coming of Jesus people will bedoing normal things such as marrying, giving inmarriage, eating, drinking. We could add watch-ing TV, going to school, riding the LondonUnderground, flying in aeroplanes, buildinghouses, shopping, until we see the sign of theSon of Man in the sky.

While the signs serve to remind us that Godis in control and that his Word is true, Jesus’emphasis in Matthew 24 is not the signs of thetimes but preparedness for his coming. Like mygrandfather, he is saying in a way, ‘It might be

director of Pathology and president of theAmerican Association for Medical Chronobiologyand Chronotherapeutics, states: ‘Knowledgeabout our biologic time structure can help uslead a healthy life . . . when we are ill, it mayhelp our physicians to diagnose and treat us.’

Recent studies now show the link betweenhealth changes and time of day. Illness symp-toms can vary according to the time of day.Blood pressure and blood viscosity, for exam-ple, increase in the morning. This is one explanation for the increased occurrence ofmore fatal heart attacks and strokes in themorning than at any other time of day.Similarly, the hour of day can affect diagnosisand treatment. This is why a number of med-ications are given at specific times of day toenhance their efficacy.

Know your body clockSome people note that they experience more

Ewith Don McFarlane, president, BUC

This could be the year!

Every New Year takes my mind back to mychildhood and to my grandfather’s words, ‘Thiscould be the year.’ By that he meant, ‘Thiscould be the year of Christ’s return.’ Since I firstheard those words from the patriarch of myfamily, over fifty New Years have come and goneand, apart from the occasional impersonation ofChrist by people such as Carl Joseph in theUSA, Jesus has remained an invisible realityand his return to Earth the major preoccupationof Seventh-day Adventists and like-mindedChristians. Yet my grandfather was right, itcould be this year.

One of the privileges of not being a confer-ence president anymore is to be able to sit inthe crowd at camp meeting and enjoy the vari-ous presentations, as opposed to being the onewho is in charge of the event and not being ableto relax fully.

Sitting among the people at the last SECcamp meeting during the Bible study period oneafternoon, I listened to a presentation thattouched a responsive chord in my heart. Thespeaker was Dr Pedrito Maynard-Reid, whohappened to be one of my teachers when Itrained for ministerial service at West IndiesCollege. His presentation centred on Matthew24 and the message which he believed thatJesus was seeking to share with his hearers. DrMaynard-Reid’s refrain in that illuminatingpresentation was that that passage had notbeen written primarily for us to be able to tickoff the various signs prior to the coming ofJesus in order to be able to pinpoint the time ofhis coming. Instead Jesus’ emphasis was, ‘I amgoing to come at a time when people do notexpect me to come, so always be prepared.’

There is a certain amount of danger in hav-ing a checklist of signs. In fact, Jesus warnedagainst placing much emphasis on signs: ‘Youwill hear of wars and rumours of wars, but seeto it that you are not alarmed. Such thingsmust happen, but the end is still to come.Nation will rise against nation, and kingdomagainst kingdom. There will be famines andearthquakes in various places. All these are thebeginning of birth pains.’ (Matthew 24:6-8.)

We need to be careful about attributing toevery disaster a ‘There we go. Jesus’ coming isjust around the corner’ message. Such anapproach can eventually lead to spiritual lethar-gy and cynicism, as has been the case withmany. If each disaster leads to pronouncementsthat its occurrence means that Jesus is ‘even atthe door’, it is likely that a ‘cry wolf’ scenariowill develop. Church leaders need to protecttheir flocks from those who take such anapproach in dealing with the signs of the times.

A brief perusal of history reveals that everygeneration since the ascension has had its fairshare of the fulfilment of the signs mentioned inMatthew 24 and elsewhere. One needs only tomap the wars, natural disasters and the deca-dent attitude of society during the past two

Science demonstrates that the physiologicalfunctions of virtually all organisms are gov-erned by 24-hour circadian rhythms. Inhumans this is referred to as the internal bodyclock. This circadian clock is an essential time-tracking system, which our body uses toanticipate environmental changes, and it initi-ates a response according to the time of day.

Research demonstrates that an understand-ing of the body’s internal timing can lead tobetter overall health and fitness, regardless ofage or physical condition.

In the book The Body Clock Guide to BetterHealth: How to use your body’s clock to fightillness and achieve maximum health, theauthor explains how to get to know our personal body rhythm and what impacts it. Also highlighted is a new field of medicinecalled chronomedicine, in which diagnosis and treatment are based on body time.

Reviewing the book, Dr Erhard Haus,

common cold symptoms towards the evening.One explanation is that hormones which pro-duce antibodies that fight fever and infectionare more active during daylight hours, with production slowing down at night.

What do you notice about your body clock?Here are a few questions to consider.

• Do you usually wake feeling refreshed andalert or lethargic?

• At what time of day do you feel most productive?

• At what time of day are you most hungry?• Do you get to bed well before midnight or

around midnight or after?

Research indicates that when our circadianrhythm is disrupted, it has a profound influenceon physical wellbeing. We examine the resultingchronic health problems in the next issue.

Good health!

this year. Be prepared.’ Another illustration usedto drive home the point is this: ‘Therefore keepwatch, because you do not know on what dayyour Lord will come. But understand this: If theowner of the house had known at what time ofnight the thief was coming, he would have keptwatch and would not have let his house be bro-ken into. So you also must be ready, becausethe Son of Man will come at an hour when youdo not expect him.’ (Matthew 24:42-44.)

To be prepared is to accept the sacrifice ofJesus for us and submit to his lordship. Theextent to which we are submitted to the lordshipof Christ will manifest itself in the way we treatpeople around us. No surprise then that inMatthew 25 Jesus cites compassion to our fel-low human beings as the primary yardstick inthe judgement. ‘When the Son of Man comes inhis glory . . . he will separate the people onefrom another as a shepherd separates thesheep from the goats. He will put the sheep onhis right and the goats on his left. Then the Kingwill say to those on his right, “Come, you whoare blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,the kingdom prepared for you since the creationof the world. For I was hungry and you gave mesomething to eat, I was thirsty and you gave mesomething to drink, I was a stranger and youinvited me in, I needed clothes and you clothedme, I was sick and you looked after me, I wasin prison and you came to visit me.” ’

I have heard it said sometimes that topreach the showing of kindness and compas-sion to fellow human beings is to proclaim asocial gospel. I am simple enough to acceptwhat Jesus says and to believe that he knowsmore about these matters than anyone else.

So this could be the year! Let us make Jesusthe overriding passion of our lives and interestsand be nice to his other brothers and sisters,because he does not take kindly to those whoignore the needs of his family. Let us seek to begenuine in our confession of Jesus as Lord andrelax. We need not worry about the Sunday law.When it comes, it comes! Don’t worry aboutwhat the Pope says or doesn’t say. All suchmatters fade into the background when, likePaul, we experience ‘the surpassing greatnessof knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord. . .’.(Philippians 3:8.)

This could be the year!

Body clock – Health impact

minutes, giving the preaching of the Word thegreatest priority. I was thoroughly blessed andprivileged to be a part of the programme.’

One of the points that kept coming up in inter-views with attendees was the fact that the televi-sion schedule forced us to run the programmes ontime. Many members expressed their appreciationto see our local church involved in such a well-organised and finely-tuned programme andexpressed the desire that this would inspire theirlocal churches. Many senior members who are‘shut in’ or could not attend expressed great prideand pleasure to see their local Conference being apart of such an important international venture.

There was a great sense of warmth and camaraderie as members of the church familyfrom both the north and south of the Conferenceand the country met for spiritual nourishment andworship.

Paul who attended all the meetings said, ‘Themessages were spiritual and interesting. The bigchallenge is for us to take the necessary steps tochange our lives so that the event can have along-term impact on the life of the church.’Another attendee, Yvonne, said, ‘The presenta-

tions, which were in a language that even the chil-dren could understand, challenged non-membersto commit their lives to the Lord and longstandingbelievers to spiritual renewal and greater commitment.’

Ordination The nightly presentations, which focused onrevival and recommitment, ended on the Sabbathwith a day of fellowship. Any ordination is a mem-orable event at any time, but to hold that serviceunder the lights with the backdrop of the ‘Streamsof Light’ revival series has to be that bit morememorable. Pastor Robert Williams was ordainedto gospel ministry after seventeen years of serviceas a lay preacher, then Bible worker and finallyfull-time paid minister in the North EnglandConference.

Within a crowded programme at BethelConvention Centre the ordination service had to bekept to time. The sermon by Pastor Don McFarlanehad the usual formula of advice and encourage-ment and challenge – with the addition of powerand passion. Pastor Williams, in response, high-lighted the Lord’s leading in his life – as evi-

denced by his mother’s prayer at his birth dedicating him to God’s service, and the timewhen a former teacher heard her one-time pupilpreaching and refused to be convinced that thispowerful preacher was the shrinking violet whoused to sit in her class. Such was the evidence ofthe changes God could make in a life dedicated tohis service.

The songs by Godfrun Moore and then by MarieJones helped the congregation to appreciate thatthe ordination service was far more than just anoccasion when a young man was recognised byhis peers as a pastor, but was a public acknowl-edgement of God’s anointing for greater service.

Wisely, both Pastor Robert Williams and PastorIan Sweeney highlighted the contribution made byso many people to this culmination of one man’sministry. Special thanks were given to presentchurches, previous churches, relatives and friends– and his Mum – who helped to make the eventpossible. Pastor Mike Simpson, who served as hismentor and supervisor, was also given specialthanks. Pastor Williams now serves as the minis-ter for the Manchester Central, Manchester Asianchurches and the Rochdale church plant.

WANTED: GOOD PHOTOGRAPHSPlease don’t send those low-resolution, blurry pictures to us. We just hate having to shoot them back. Send high-res, sharp pictures only. For more information: www.adventistnews.org.uk/messenger/guidelines.php

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Messenger 54 Messenger

It’s a new year. Motivation levelsare high. Could this be the firstor maybe the second time you goall the way to achieve your health

goals? Lose some pounds, work outthree times a week, eat more fruitand vegetables? This year, we will behelping you with a nutrition series ofsix healthy eating articles. We wantto help you get a better understand-ing of healthy eating and the foodcategories using the eatwell platemodel, the government’s standarddietary model issued from the FoodStandards Agency.

The concept of healthy eating canmean very different things to eachindividual. In fact, the whole foodexperience is dependent on manyfactors. What did you eat in child-hood? There is a strong emotionalconnection with food for humans.Nostalgia is often associated withfood. Just think of those sweet jarsin the sweet shops, or ice-creamfrom the ice-cream van.

God would not have wired us anyother way. The human brain is creat-ed in such a way that we derivepleasure from eating. Food runs onthe most powerful reward circuit inthe brain. This reward circuit is thesame one in operation for drug oralcohol addiction. Research showsthat high-fat and high-sugar foodstrigger a similar physiologicalresponse to that experienced by adrug addict after taking a ‘fix’. Thisis not only true for the classicallyaddictive foods like chocolate or cof-fee, but also for doughnuts andhigh-fat, processed foods (Crowin &Grigson, 2009). The first challenge,then, is the emotional and addictivenature of food and eating patterns.When do you tend to eat? Bored sit-ting at the desk at work? In theevening watching TV? When you areupset do you grab for the chocolatebar? Or do you tend just to keepgoing back for second helpings?Keep a food journal to discoverprompts.

In addition to the physiologicaland psychological pleasure of eating,the social aspect of sharing food hasa powerful effect. Everyone wants tobelong. Try eating a fresh green leafysalad with lentil sprouts with several

beef-steak-eating friends. Or viceversa – a dripping cheese hamburg-er among friends eating steamedtofu with wholegrain rice. Let’s faceit, food is a powerful social tool thatcan be used to show favour or dis-content or to manipulate. So pres-sure from family and friends orchurch members to conform to oth-ers’ eating habits can also influenceyou. This makes any determinationto change and take on new habitsmore challenging.

Finally, our lifestyle can makechanges difficult. Do you workshifts? Going through the night with-out sleep can create powerful crav-ings. Do you have to eat at your deskor are so busy that you don’t havetime to prepare lunch? Do you waituntil you get so hungry that you eatthe nearest available thing? Or doyou simply skip meals or go forhours without eating?

Whatever your food choices oreating habits, the first step is toanalyse where you are. One methodthat nutritionists and dieticians useis to suggest you record your ownfood diary. If you have internetaccess you can search for a freefood diary. If not, just create a col-umn with eating time, description ofall food or drink eaten, and maybeany feelings or situations associatedwith that eating. So, for example:Time: 8am, ate small bowl of por-ridge with a tablespoon of brownsugar, one medium-sized bananaand a handful of almonds. Ate in arush at dining table. Once you havethe details you will be in a positionto see what you really eat and drinkversus what you think you eat anddrink. This diary takes time but isworth the effort. Often people eatdifferently at the weekend, so youcan record one weekday and oneweekend day.

One of the very first steps thatwould be encouraged is to try to cre-ate a regular eating pattern. Yes, eatat regular times within 30 minutesof the mealtime each day. You mayvary it slightly at weekends. This isbecause the body loves to createhabit; it loves regularity. It helpsevery aspect of our system from theway we digest foods to supporting

our blood sugar levels (even dentalhealth). An example would includeeating breakfast at 7am, lunch at12noon, evening meal at 5pm. Thisis easier said than done, but just asour body readjusts to different timezones, it will help us programmeregularity. Eating at regular timeshelps us to reduce cravings and pro-motes better digestion. Believe it ornot, we can eat very healthy foodthat may not be digested, brokendown and absorbed by the body. Youmay have heard quoted, ‘You arewhat you eat’; rather it is: ‘You arewhat you absorb from what you eat.’

Secondly you may want to thinkabout including 8 glasses of water aday (1.5-2 litres). Amazingly thisapplies to teenagers too. You willwant to build this up. Start with a500ml bottle of water, sipping itthroughout the day and building upto 1.5-2 litres. A common questionis, Are other drinks equal to water?The answer is ‘Yes and no’. Water isa fluid, so in terms of fluid intakethere is equivalence, but in terms ofthe cleansing function of water inthe body, nothing compares.Investing in a water purifying systemis recommended where possible.This may take the form of a waterfilter or something more expensivesuch as reverse osmosis. You willneed to research and decide onthese systems for yourself.

Finally you need to think abouthow much change you want to makein your diet realistically. Do you wantto revolutionise your diet? Cut downon meat, eat more fruit and vegeta-bles or cut out processed, sugaryfoods? Change dietary models?Become a vegetarian or vegan?Whatever the changes you want tomake, you need to give yourself timeto educate yourself and prepare thebody for those changes. Althoughthere are ‘all or nothing’ people,gradually adjusting to a differentdietary plan helps the body make thetransition more easily.

Also consider what happenswhen you decide to make dietarychanges and then go back to theprevious eating choice. For example,no more ice-cream (at all, not evenin the freezer). Then one day after a

stressed day at work, while racingaround the supermarket to pick up afew things you stumble across theoffer 2 for 1 of your favourite flavour.What do you do? Put it in the freezer(not for you, of course, but forSabbath lunch when you havefriends over). On Thursday you areeating the ice-cream. What do youdo? Do you eat the whole tubbecause you might as well as youwant to get it out of the fridge? Doyou feel guilty, then eat more thingsthe next day and the day after asyou have ‘failed’? Really understand-ing the basics of health behaviourchange, and the difference betweena lapse (on one occasion) ratherthan a relapse (re-establishment ofthe pattern) is important.

What about changes within thecontext of your lifestyle? Who pre-pares the meals? What is your budg-et? How much time are you willing todedicate to meal preparation? Canyou cook? Do you have children?How are you going to negotiate anybarriers to change?

There are many things to consid-er with any plans for change. AsChristians we believe in the power ofprayer to assist us, through the min-istry of the Holy Spirit. Get someprayer buddies and present yourplans specifically in prayer.

Establishing the groundwork isimportant as this is a lifestylechange that you want to make ratherthan a ‘diet’. Over the next fewweeks we will look at 5 themes: 1.Fruit and Vegetables – RainbowProtection, 2. Wholegrain Truth vsProcessed, 3. Protein and Health, 4.Fats: The Good, the Bad and theUgly, 5. Dairy and Dairy Alternatives,looking at research and practicaltips. Let the journey begin.

Disclaimer: We realise that this article will be readby a wide range of individuals, some of whom mayor may not know that they have health problems.This article does not aim to replace medical advice,and it is recommended that if you are taking med-ication or have health concerns that you approachyour GP before making any dietary changes. If youdo have health concerns, please see your GP.

Crowin, R. and P. Grigson (2009) SymposiumOverview – Food addiction: fact or fiction? Journal ofNutrition, 139(3):617-9.

Wise, R. (1996) Addictive drugs and brain stimula-tion and reward, Annual Review of Neuroscience,19:319-40.

*Angelette Muller is a senior lecturer in nutritionaltherapy and the consultant for the cookery schoolCREATE, (renamed) School of Food & Health. CRE-ATE is a community interest company that offerscourses in health education and cookery, including:The transition nutrition series; Helping you transformyour diet & lifestyle one step at a time; IntegratedCookery and Health courses. Please go towww.creating-health.com for more information.

That question – variouslyexpressed – has often beenasked over the years. Somequestioners express frustra-

tion at the diversity of ‘answers’given in Adventist articles andbooks. They seem to yearn for anAdventist equivalent of a papalencyclical! However, there are dangers in being too prescriptive.The most fundamental of all our fundamentals is freedom of conscience.

What has occasioned the recent raft of questions have been 1. a Channel 4 documentary by JonRonson on the Alpha course; and 2. the allegation that certain personsemployed as counsellors/mentors/coaches in the small-groups move-ment have been non-SDA Christianswith a charismatic agenda of theirown.

The first type of question I’ll havea stab at here. The second line ofquestioning will have to be dealtwith elsewhere by those who know agreat deal more about the small-groups movement than I do.

While I have concerns about thecharismatic movement and anyinfluence it might be having on thefringes of the Church, I am totallyopposed to those who feel they canbehave intolerantly to people withregard to any hymns/songs becausethey have, unjustly, blanketed themwith the term ‘charismatic’.‘Charismatic’ must not become ahate word, along with ‘Jesuit’ and‘Freemason’. These terms have specific meanings and should not be used simply as labels for thosewe dislike or with whom we disagree.

What is the Alpha Course? Itoriginated in the 1970s at HolyTrinity Church, Brompton, as anintroduction to the Christian basics.In 1990 it was restructured and partially rewritten with a view tointeresting agnostics in Christianity.It consists of weekly sessions heldover ten weeks.

In recasting the Alpha Course,Nicky Gumbel, a one-time barristerwho had become minister at Holy

Trinity, was influenced by the thoughtthat the Holy Spirit actually con-vinces people of sin and the need forsalvation. Therefore, halfway throughthe course, he decided that thereshould be a ‘Holy Spirit weekend’ sothat what was in ‘the head’ shouldpercolate down into ‘the heart’.

Increasingly, as ‘Holy Spiritweekends’ were held, the evidencelooked for to ‘prove’ that a personhad completed the head-to-heartprocess was that he/she should‘speak in tongues’. Hence manyChristians, would-be Christians,seekers and agnostics were taught‘tongues’ by the group leader(Evangelicals Now, August issue,2009, article by Mike R. Taylor). Ineed to make it clear that the term‘tongues’ was used in the sense of‘ecstatic utterance’, not ‘languages’.In other words, ecstatic utterancewas induced as a learnedbehaviour. (See Seth Pierce, Pride and Seek, details below.)

The Channel 4 programme madethe assertion that Nicky Gumbel wasinfluenced to make ‘tongues’ centralto Alpha because of a visit to theToronto Airport Vineyard Church in1994. (However, since the Alpharewrite was done in 1990 there areissues with chronology here.) Thebizarre behaviour associated withthe so-called ‘Toronto Blessing’ willbe recalled by readers. To someonewith my upbringing and education itis impossible to view such phenom-ena (including each manifestation of‘tongues’ I have witnessed) as hav-ing any connection with the work of the Holy Spirit. I say this despitethe fact that it is by no means clearto me that all the references to‘tongues’ in Acts necessarily refer to foreign languages.

In his brilliant book Christianity’sDangerous Idea, Professor AlisterMcGrath treats charismata as phe-nomena that only became wide-spread in Christianity after the early1900s, notably in an Azusa Streetcongregation, Los Angeles. I totallyunderstand why he says this, butrespectfully beg to add the following.The ten years in which I researched

seventeenth-century Puritanism andNonconformity in England preparato-ry to receiving my PhD in 1978 pro-duced a far bigger, more complexpicture than simply their politicalbehaviour which was my centralconcern. In various contexts therewere references in my sources to patterns of behaviour which I then thought of as paranormal but which would now be styled‘charismatic’.

The eighteenth-century religiousscene in England included wide-spread evidence of similar phenom-ena. Many biographies of JohnWesley mention them. The one I rec-ommend for its brevity, balance andaccessibility to the general reader isthat by Stephen Tomkins. As early asJanuary 1734 Wesley describes con-gregants following repentance aslaughing ‘immoderately as if theywere mad’. When Wesley com-menced open-air preaching, ‘quiteinvoluntary’ charismatic phenomenabecame frequent. They involvedmen, women and children as youngas 10 ‘mostly [of] the lower class-es’. Welsey was not sure what tothink. When it happened to otherpreachers he put it down to ‘histri-onic homiletics’. However, when ithappened in his congregations hesaid that the screams of pain andhorror were ‘the result of revelationsof hell’ to both penitent and impeni-tent, and the last stand of the evilspirit that he believed inhabitedunbelievers. Wesley’s recent biogra-pher, Tomkins, while not presumingto ‘psychoanalyse Wesley’s audienceat this distance’ points out that thephenomena were common whenthousands filled halls way beyondtheir capacity, when services wenton for many hours, began abnormal-ly early or continued into the night(page 74). At times Wesley defendedcharismatic behaviour as ‘possiblemanifestations of the Holy Spirit’, atothers he warned followers that they‘meant nothing’ (page 80) and, itwould be fair to say, at most timeshe felt uncomfortable about them,regarding them as a distraction. Bycontrast his brother Charles ‘took

What do ‘we’ think about thecharismatic movement?

New Year, New You: Healthyeating for 2010 by Angelette Muller*

Recommended reading:* Alister McGrath, Christianity’s

Dangerous Idea: TheProtestant Revolution (SPCK,2007), pages 415-438. ISBN:978-0-281-05968-3.

* Stephen Tomkins, John Wesley:A Biography (Lion, 2003).ISBN: 0-7459-5078-7.

* Seth J. Pierce, Pride and Seek:An Unexpected SpiritualJourney (Review and Herald,2005). ISBN: 0-8280-1906-1.

On the issue of ‘Is the gift oftongues languages or unintelligibleutterances?’ visit the BiblicalResearch Institute’s website andlook for ‘Useful Gifts’ by AngelManuel Rodriguez. On the subjectin general see Dr Clinton Wahlen’sarticle ‘Adventist Charismatics andNew Testament Charismata’.www.adventistbiblical research.org/Biblequestions/usefulgifts.htm

An article on the subject willappear in a future issue written byNewbold’s Jean-Claude Verrecchia.

firm and successful action’ to dis-courage these ‘attention-seeking’‘fits’ (pages 105-106).

Phenomena similar to those connected with the Toronto Blessinghave been associated with manifes-tations of hysteria in many entirelynon-Christian cultures. In additionR. C. Zaehner in his book Mysticism,Sacred and Profane associatessome common charismatic phenom-ena with the manic phase of manicdepression or ‘bipolar disorder’. Tome it sounds unkind to make thatassociation. However, it also strikesme as potentially a form of blasphe-my to connect many of these pat-terns of abnormal behaviour with thework of the Holy Spirit. I am equallyuncomfortable with Alpha retreatleaders teaching congregants to setaside inhibitions and disbelief inorder to practise meaningless syllables of sound until they are ‘fluent’ in ‘tongues’. Indeed, phrases like Great Deception springto mind.

So then . . .you know what I think.The question was, What do we

think? You say. [email protected]

EDITOR

Four ADRA cyclists raised£12,791 for ADRA-UK in 2009in four days. How did they do

that?Part of the ‘25000 spins’ cycle

ride, they left London on 22 July fora four-day trip to Paris. Eighteen rid-ers raised in total over £32,000 forADRA-UK, Unicef and Compassionduring their 300km (186 miles) trip.

Craig Shipton, an AustralianSeventh-day Adventist working inLondon, organised the eventbecause he wanted to do somethingspecial for people in need. For himthe trip did not end, as he continuedon to Athens, Greece. Facing severalchallenges, including a major crash,Craig accomplished the task he hadset for himself on 25 September.

Because of the success of the2009 cycle run, Craig is organisinganother ‘25000 spins’ run leaving

London on 21 July 2010. The namereflects the amount of daily pedalspins it takes to reach Paris.

‘A challenge like this is not justabout the distance. The bike ride isabout group effort, friendship and,more importantly, spirit. Our tripbrings together people from manydifferent backgrounds, each withtheir own reasons for taking up thechallenge,’ said Craig.

‘The physical side of the trip issometimes a worry for people whomay not have cycled much beforesigning up or who believe them-selves to be out of shape. This is nota race but a ride that is designed toensure that everyone can take partand everyone completes what theystarted.

‘The route is planned to ensurethat you see as much of the country-side as possible. You will see a side

of both rural England and Francethat you may not have experiencedbefore.

‘Arriving in Paris all wearing thesame cycle jerseys is a fabulousfeeling, which was enhanced furtherby being able to see the end of theTour de France the day after wearrived.

‘Most importantly, though, youget the opportunity to help raisemuch-needed funds to help out people in need.’

The 2010 London to Paris charitycycle is another opportunity to bepart of this great experience and afabulous challenge. For more infor-mation see www.25000spins.com.

Messenger 76 Messenger

The Missionary Book of the Year order form 2010Church Pastor

Quantity required Cost: £0.50p per copy plus p&p depending on the number of copies required

Amount enclosed

Offer; postage & packing (p&p) and details:❍ Orders 1-49 copies, £0.50p each + £2.95 p&p – No free Steps to Christ❍ Orders 50-99 copies, £0.50p each, buy one get one Steps to Christ free + £4.95 p&p❍ Orders in excess of 100 copies, £0.50p each, buy one get one Steps to Christ free, with p&p FREESend your order to: BUC Publishing Director, Stanborough Press Ltd, Alma Park, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 9SL.Please make cheques payable to ‘The Stanborough Press Ltd’. For further information contact Pastor Curtis G.Murphy, [email protected].

Well done! Is it a record?Over 173,000 copies of our Missionary Book of 2009, He isComing, have been despatched.

Congratulations!But that’s just the beginning.Now that 2010 is here, we need to continue the momentum.

We have a new book – When God said REMEMBER by MarkFinley.

Finley’s book deals with the seventh-day Sabbath. He isComing focused on the signs of Jesus’ Second Advent.

As Adventists we are happy to share the certainty of Christ’sreturn and the nearness of that event.

But we are Seventh-day Adventists, and as such keen toshare the importance of the Sabbath – the seventh day.

Such is the purpose of our new Missionary Book of the Year.In the introduction Finley writes, ‘In the Sabbath experience youwill uncover a rest of mind, body and spirit which will renew andrefresh your entire life.’

Chapter one is entitled ‘Rest for the rushed’, and the bookconcludes with chapter nine: ‘Be a trailblazer for God’. This book extends to the reader a clear call to remember the Sabbath.

We must make every effort to scatter these seeds of truth toa needy community. I am pleased to say that the new book willbe available for despatch at the end of January. Furthermore, wehave partnered When God said REMEMBER with E. G. White’sclassic Steps to Christ. This new illustrated version will be an

excellent companion book, and to make sure that it is affordablewe are giving it FREE! Yes! FREE.

THIS IS THE DEAL. You must purchase 50 or more When Godsaid REMEMBER to benefit from this offer.

So this is how it works.If you want fewer than 50 copies of When God said

REMEMBER, you will pay 50p per copy, together with postageand packing.

However, if you buy between 50 and 99 copies, you will pay50p for each book and get the same number of Steps to Christfree, plus p&p.

Orders in excess of 100 copies of When God said Remember,price 50p, will be matched with the same quantity of Steps toChrist, with free p&p.

I am sure that you will agree that this deal cannot bematched elsewhere. Now is your chance to send in orders inadvance to receive priority treatment.

As you look at your evangelistic needs for 2010, make surethat these books are part of your church’s plan. Send your ordersnow to: BUC Publishing Director, The Stanborough Press Ltd,Alma Park, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 9SL, with all chequesmade payable to ‘The Stanborough Press Ltd’. Do that NOW.

Can we beat 173,000 in 2010? I am sure that we can,because this is God’s business and one of his methods of sharing Present Truth. God bless you and your ministry.CURTIS MURPHY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR, BUC

Cycling for ADRA-UK: London – to Paris – to Athensby Bert Smit, executive director, ADRA-UK

NEC LETS Prayer Harvest Ministries 9th Annual Retreat • 4-7 February 2010 • Venue: Barcelo Hotel, Daventry • Speakers: Pastor S. Telemaque, Caribbean Union, Pastor D. Blake, New York, USA, incorporating the School of Intercessor • Contact: Mrs D. Dawkins on

01902 751715 or 07853 457656, Email: [email protected] • Closing date: 15 January.

Characters from the book of SamuelUse the clues to help you find the characters who were important toSamuel. The letters of the words can go either forwards, backwards,horizontally, vertically or diagonally. When you have found them all,work out the hidden message from most of the letters that are left.The message will tell you whyHannah called her son Samuel. Whynot make your own word search usingsome of the words in 1 Samuelchapters 1 and 2 and then write yourown hidden message for God? See ifone of your family members or afriend can work it out.

Happy New Year, Christian Stars!There is something very exciting about anything new,like starting to write on the first page of a new, cleannotebook, wearing a new pair of shoes for the first

time or taking the first ride on a shiny newbike. Celebrating the first day of a brand new

year is no different. Many people spend sometime on New Year’s day making plans for the

coming year, like learning to play an instrument,learning a new hobby, spending more time withGod. Some decide to break bad habits and

develop good ones. Have you noticed that most of ourresolutions involve our making a commitment to spend more

time on something? I love the story in the Bible where Hannahmakes a commitment to God. More than anything in the world,Hannah wanted a baby. When it seemed hopeless, she promised

God that if he granted her prayer, she would dedicate her baby to him. Wouldn’t it be a greatidea to make a similar promise to dedicate all our resolutions to God in 2010?

Help Hannah design a coat for SamuelEvery year Hannah would bring a new coat for Samuel when shevisited him at the temple. Help Hannah design a beautiful coat for him.

Drawing competitionDivide an A4 page in half. In the first, draw a pictureof Hannah in the temple praying for a child. In thesecond, draw another picture where Hannah bringsSamuel to live and work in the temple. Write your nameand address on the back of the drawing. Send your drawings to ‘Stars’, British Union Conference, Stanborough Park, Garston,Watford WD25 9JZ. The best entry will win a book prize. Closing date: Friday 12 February 2010.

Crack the codeEli told Samuel to say some very wise words. Be a detective and use the clues to help you work out what they are.

ELI • ELKANAH • GOD • HANNAH • HOPHNI •ICHABOD • KISH • PHINEHAS • SAMUEL • SAUL

Turning over a new leafHere is something fun you can do this afternoon or in the week:

Ask an adult to help you find a small dry branch, which you can push into apot filled with soil. (You can cover the soil with some pretty pebbles or shells.)

Now find some different leaf shapes on the computer or in books ormagazines. Draw around them on card, cut them out carefully and punch ahole near the top of the leaf.

Write a resolution on each leaf. (Your resolutions could be about doing oneextra little job at home to help your parents, your study habits or behaviour at

school, being a better friend, learning a new skill or hobby or spending more timewith God.)

Tie the leaf to the branches on your tree with coloured ribbon, wool or thread.Keep it in your room as a reminder of the promises you have

made. Pray regularly that God will inspire youwith ideas to honour your

promises.

See if you can find theverse for this text in 1 Samuel chapter 3:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

P H I N E H A SH A E N S I K IA N A L S K N SN A S E I H D AN K O A P F G MA L G O U O O UH E H D D L W ED O B A H C I L

H I D D E N M E S S A G E

by Anne PilmoorFeedback from children who visit Christian Stars Children’s pages – or from their parents – is wel-come. The address is [email protected]. Heather Haworth, Children’s Ministries director, BUC

Feedback from children who visit Christian Stars Children’s pages – or from their parents – is wel-come. The address is [email protected]. Heather Haworth, Children’s Ministries director, BUC

R A G E A U H L 1 M K O B K C Z Q 2 F 5 I 9 3 0 8 A

F Z A R K

F A 2 9 R K 5 1 F O 1 F 5 A K 1 K H

O C 2 E U C 2 8 C I 2

Messenger 1110 Messenger

name would suggest, is a Jew whohad a secular world-view and whohad a strong dislike for religion, par-ticularly Christianity. However, in hisearly 20s he realised that there mustbe ‘truth absolute’ and that if it werepossible he would find it. He neverexpected just how far or where hisjourney would take him to becominga believer in Jesus and an apologistin the Seventh-day AdventistChurch.

Sunday afternoon Clifford presented a lecture entitled ‘TheSanctuary and the Gospel’. This wasprobably the most powerful of thelectures where he emphasised thatthe atonement was exactly that –the atonement – not something tobe dreaded but to be thankful forand to be celebrated.

Those who attended these lec-tures were challenged, encouragedand stimulated. Since he has overtwenty books in print and a satelliteprogramme entitled ‘Cliff!’ his min-istry to this denomination is ongoing.We are all grateful that Clifford tooktime out of his very busy schedule tocome and minister to us in Belfastand pray that God will continue tobless him.COMMUNICATION SECRETARY

* Cliff Goldstein, who for some years hasbeen the editor of the senior Sabbath Schoolquarterlies, is the author of more than twentybooks. In The Clifford Goldstein Story (£5.75)he provides a riveting account of his conver-sion. In The Great Compromise (£6.95) hetells how Roman Catholics and Protestantsare undoing the Reformation and fulfillingprophecy. Both books are available on theABC sales line, 01476 539900.

Sabbath 21 November was wet and windy, butinside the little church of Lodge Causeway,Bristol, the atmosphere was warm and very

happy. Philip Anderson, soon to be 18, was giving hislife to God in baptism during the afternoon. Threethings stood out that day. Firstly, the fact that one ofour young people was making this decision. Our chil-dren and youth are precious to God and to our churchfamily, and it is always a delight to see them take theright path in life. Other young people of the church participated in the baptismal service: Roman, Katarinaand Daniel Joachym, Joseph Wright and Rachel Ohmanprovided beautiful music.

Secondly, it was apparent to all that God was

guiding our thoughts. A couple of weeks before, Philiphad indicated that he would like the programme toreflect his love of the story of Creation. As a child, hehad memorised several Bible passages, includingGenesis 1 and the first chapter of John. These two pas-sages were linked together as a scripture reading andread by his grandfather Barry Bell. Our minister, PastorVicentiu Dranca, who had been giving Philip Bible stud-ies for many months leading up to this day, expandedthis theme in his sermon. Unknown to any at LodgeCauseway, the speaker in divine service that morning,Siegfried Edwards, a relative of Philip, from our sisterchurch at Croscombe, was planning to preach on thesubject of Creation, and even to use the same pas-sages of Scripture that Philip had chosen. Thus thewhole day was knitted together movingly by the Spiritof God.

The third thing to touch our hearts was the pres-ence of so many family and friends; people who in

many cases have watchedPhilip grow up in the churchand were there to witness thishappy occasion. All enjoyed avery tasty fellowship lunchtogether before the service ofbaptism began.

Philip’s grandfather,Pastor Philip Anderson, wasdelighted to be able to leadthe congregation in prayerand in singing. Philip’s uncle,Graham Anderson, broughtthe service to an end withprayer. We all had a wonderfulday of celebration and fellow-ship. A member of the con-gregation remarked that shethought the angels in Heavenwere having their own party.We wish Philip God’s richestblessings in the future, espe-cially as he works this yeartowards the study of music at university.STEPHANIE ANDERSON

Idon’t believe that where God isconcerned there is such a thing as

coincidence. One of the Belfastchurch members was in WashingtonDC earlier in the year and was intro-duced to Clifford Goldstein who, itturned out, had hitchhiked in Irelandin the mid 70s. When asked if hewould consider coming to Belfast heanswered in the affirmative. Onhearing this, the Belfast church wasdelighted and extended an invitationfor him to come for the weekend of13-15 November.

Confidence in God as Creator;confidence in God’s calling; confi-dence in prophecy; confidence in

God’s leading; confidence in theatonement – these were the sub-jects covered over the three days.

The first of the four lectures wason Friday evening, entitled ‘A Tale ofTwo Theories’, looking at the theoryof evolution and its shortcomingscompared with Creation by God.There was a good number of visitorsincluding some clergy from otherdenominations. The consensus wasthat the programme was well presented and scholarly.

‘The Chosen’ was the title of thefirst of two lectures on Sabbathmorning; ‘The Chosen’ clearly indi-cated everyone, chosen by God from

before time began. Clifford presentshis lectures using Scripture, whilereasoning the arguments throughlogic.

The second lecture on Sabbathmorning was ‘The Fifth Kingdom’,God’s eternal Kingdom presented inDaniel 2 as a stone cut out withouthands. In this lecture Clifford dis-cussed the surety of the propheciesof Daniel 2, contending that sincethe prophecies regarding Babylon,Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome(extending into modern-day Europe)are startlingly accurate, we can haveconfidence in God setting up hisfinal ‘Fifth Kingdom’ that will neverpass away.

On Sabbath afternoon he tracedhis own personal conversion toChristianity. Clifford Goldstein, as his

Goldstein* weekend at Belfast

To Zambia with loveChildren’s Day at North Bristol church on 28 November was a lively and

fun-filled service. The theme ‘Tell the world of Jesus’ love’ was enactedwith a play about Moses freeing the children of Israel from Egypt. Six sermon-ettes were skilfully presented by children aged from six. Each sermonettelooked at how ordinary, even unlikely, people were able to serve God. The chil-dren’s choir brought joy to the congregation with the upbeat song ‘O-B-E-Y’.

The afternoon was just as entertaining with a variety of arts and craftsactivities. But the highlight of the afternoon was a church effort in the fillingand wrapping of shoeboxes for the ADRA Shoebox Appeal. The day ended witha big cheer after learning that we had collected ninety-two boxes for the children of Zambia – a real message of Jesus’ love.SHILOH HARMITT

Those who braved a wet and windySunday afternoon to attend the

Fundraiser for the Diamond Appealwere not disappointed. The DiamondAppeal, for those who are notWestonians, is a local charity organ-ised to raise funds for the purchaseof a digital breast scanner for theWeston General Hospital. Hosted bythe Women’s Ministries of theWeston church, the tea was a verita-ble vegetarian feast of sweet andsavoury treats! Among the guestswere the town’s Mayor, Councillor DrMike Kellaway-Marriott, and his wifeMrs Carmela Bianco de Kellaway,who spoke on the importance of theappeal and its value to the commu-

nity of Weston-super-Mare and surrounding districts. Jane Baker, a mammographer from WestonGeneral Hospital, represented theDiamond Appeal and spoke of thebenefits a digital scanner wouldbring, notably earlier diagnosis for younger patients and thedecreased need for multiple scans due to the abilities of digital technology.

Grateful thanks are extended toall who attended and donated theirtime and funds to this important ini-tiative, and especially to our localorganisers, Jennie Gallaher andKarliese Erasmus.W. B. ERASMUS

Sparkle at Diamond Appeal Fundraiser

Jennie Gallaher, Jane Baker, Mrs Carmela Bianco de Kellaway, Councillor Dr Mike Kellaway-Marriott and KarlieseErasmus

Philip’s baptism Proceeds of the Windows On ToGod Flower Festival at

Stanborough Park church were pre-sented on the first Sabbath of theWeek of Prayer.

‘We have come here this morningto give praise and thanks to God forthe wonderful way in which heblessed our most successful flowerfestival ever,’ were the words withwhich Audrey Balderstone, chairmanof the Stanborough Park ChurchFlower Festival, began the presenta-tion of the proceeds of the festival

£15,000 raised for children’s hospiceheld earlier in the year. With her onthe platform were members of theFlower Festival Committee because,as she said, the festival was verymuch a team effort.

Audrey went on to tell the con-gregation that, because of the reces-sion this year she felt they wouldstruggle to reach the total of£11,000 raised at the last festival.‘O ye of little faith,’ Audrey quotedand went on to say how she hadbeen humbled by God as he demon-strated that when we dedicate our

time and talents to him he is able todo more than we can ever ask orthink. By the end of the festivalweekend almost £14,000 had beenraised for Helen and Douglas HouseHospice for Children and YoungAdults. The amount was deemedmiraculous during our present eco-nomic crisis. Following the festival,DVDs of all the flowers, with a com-mentary, and calendars depictingeach of the designs, were sold,which is why the presentation of the cheque was delayed.

Helen House was the first hos-pice in the world for children and,similarly, Douglas House was thefirst hospice for teenagers and youngadults. Both were founded by SisterFrances Dominica, an Anglican nun.Sister Frances was there to receivethe cheque on behalf of the mem-bers of the church and of the widercommunity who had supported thefestival. Gasps of surprise wereheard when Paul Bellamy (Festivaltreasurer) and Roslyn Guenin(Fundraising) held up a giant chequewhich showed the amazing sum of£15,500.00. In her reply SisterFrances said she could never findwords enough to thank the commit-tee, the congregation – and God –for such a truly magnificent gift.

Stanborough Church FlowerFestivals attract hundreds of visitorsfrom the community and are one ofthe church’s most successful out-reach activities. Countless storiescould be told of the ways in whichGod has used the festivals to bringhonour and glory to his name. Wegive him praise, once again, forallowing us to witness this ‘window’on to his power and majesty. COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENTPhilip Anderson with Pastor Vicentiu Dranca

Back row, left to right: Pat Walton, Maritza Sabatier, Patrick Boyle, Cecilia Davison. Front row: Audrey Balderstone, Sister Frances, Roslyn Guenin. Committee members missingfrom the photo: Paul Bellamy, Cathy Guenin, Caroline Swain

Remembrance Day parades have become a tradi-tional fixture in the British calendar. With theHolloway Pathfinder club being invited participantsfor the second year, it is fast becoming a fixture onour calendar of activities. So on the rather chillymorning of Sunday 8 November we congregated atHolloway church in our distinctive dress uniformof beige and brown, green sashes, black berets forthe general Pathfinders and red for the HollowayDrum Corps. The Adventurers were in their blueand white, and shiny black shoes for all. Befittingthe occasion there was one notable addition – thegreen, black and red of the poppy pin that adornedthe chest of all our uniforms.

We then set off for the main meeting point atHighbury Corner where those in the IslingtonRemembrance Day Parade were to assemble.There we were joined by the Metropolitan Policedepartment – from that contingent some would beour escorts, some would be part of the parade andtwo mounted officers would guide our route.Present were also the Rifles, the Royal Fusiliers,

the Engineers, the Royal Signals, the RAF, theSpecial Forces, the TA, the Royal Marines, TheParachute Regiment, the HAC, the Guards, theRAMC, the Emergency Services and the Cadets.

The Drum Corps, who were officially invited tolead the parade, took their positions at the top ofthe column, the Pathfinder club next, and the various other groups would fall in behind us.

With all brought to attention by their individualsquad leaders, the Drum Corps weresignalled to begin. The drum beat ofthe Quick March sounded clear andstrong and the column, each unitarrayed in their respective uniforms,marched. The streets were linedwith passers-by who stopped togaze, supporters who came to cheerus on, and the shop owners andworkers who paused from their workto see the parade pass by.

We marched to the HollowaySquare where we and approximately

900 men, women and children gathered at10.40am for an inter-faith service. There we werereminded of the number of wars that have beenfought in the last century and those that ragedeven as we stood and remembered the past conflicts.

As we stood in that square we sang, some quietly, some with strong voices, ‘The Lord is myShepherd’. At 11am the crowd fell silent. Aroundthe country many other gatherings were hushed asthe two minutes of silence began. After the twominutes there were various prayers, the placing of wreaths and the singing of ‘O God Our Helper’.

Messenger 1312 Messenger

A severe turbulence hit the LondonGhana Seventh-day Adventistchurch during the 2008 church elections. The devil seemed to beworking to ensure some level ofcommotion, instability and disunity.

This is unusual. The LondonGhana church generally has a veryrich experience. Members enthusias-tically give to the Lord. This is thechurch that gives more than£100,000 at one appeal. Equally it ispositive towards evangelism withtwo evangelistic series every year.Membership continues to grow rap-idly. Social activities bring members

and non-members together andthese, along with inspirational wor-ship against a cherished culturalbackground, make it a good place tobe.

Sadly, despite all the good things,the church became divided. With anofficial membership of over 500 it isperhaps to be expected that therewill be both pleasant and unpleasantexperiences to share with other sis-ter churches. The details are notimportant but members believe thatthe good and the bad experiencesthey have gone through over theyears and especially recently have

already worked for good for the children of God.

At a critical juncture, the pastorwas called to the USA to continuehis ministry in another Ghanaianchurch. The church was left withouta pastor for two months. Elders hadto ‘pastor’ and focused on the ideaof revival and restoration.

October was declared a month ofprayer and fasting – to be immedi-ately followed by a week of revival.Preacher after preacher stressed theneed to return to God and the unifi-cation of the church. Membersprayed earnestly, seeking the face ofGod under the theme ‘If My PeoplePray’. The church pastor, FergusOwusu Boateng, rekindled the enthu-siasm of members towards themonth-long prayer and fasting, andthe timely arrival of the associatepastor, Lewis Quaye, brought somedelight and ambition to the alreadyboosted commitment of members.These were joined by the pastor ofthe Toronto Ghana church, OppongDamson, and head pastor of theStuttgart Ghanaian church inGermany, Charles Asare-Bediako.The assurances were genuine and

personal. Pastor Asare-Bediakonoted that the church was and stillis a church of God and for that mat-ter members were still children ofGod. ‘It is a cornfield with weedsand not all weeds,’ he stressed,emphasising that ‘it was not talentsthat won the session. It was anextraordinary spiritual unction, notextraordinary mental power thatcame down.’

The climax was planned asanother week-long revival by therenowned TV and international evan-gelist, Pastor Andrews LawrenceEwoo. He was impressed. ‘I cannotbelieve what I am seeing. This doesnot happen often in churches.’ Thepunctuality, the attendance, the visitors’ high record numbers, thesounds of the choir and the singingband, the participation of the youth, were inspirational and encouraging.

The final Sabbath was full of joy,and members felt restored and for-given; the church became one againas bitterness gave way to joy andgladness, and the mission of thischurch in east London became morefocused.

One member said, ‘At a point Ifelt like leaving this church but nowthe good Lord has brought the joyand the focus of the heavenly jour-ney back to me.’ The situation wasnot only a lesson of what ‘self’ can do to ruin a church but, moreimportantly, how God can changebad situations into lovely ones to his own glory.

Brixton bids farewellOn Sabbath 28 November the Brixton family said goodbye to Owen andCordella Brown and their children as they left to return to Jamaica.

Brother Brown came to England in 1962 and joined Brixton church in1964. Therefore, Brixton has been his home for forty-five years. Cordella’sattachment to Brixton has been less, but in her time she has been a good rolemodel to their two children, James and Alesha, who have many friends atchurch. As an effective member of the church she was always willing to doher best in whatever task she was given and prized herself on increasing herknowledge for the betterment of those around her. Brother Brown also con-

tributed to the church family.He was known as a soloist,and, in addition, sang inGolden Chords for a time.

For the last two yearsCordella has been theStewardship leader at Brixtonchurch and has carried out herduties so well that RichardDeLisser, the SEC Stewardshipdirector, came to Brixton onthe Browns’ last Sabbath topresent her with the first everStewardship Leader of the YearAward which she graciouslyaccepted.VALERIE MOODIE

Good News campaignIt felt as if the whole church were in tune with the speaker as he delivered themessage of salvation night after night at the Good News campaign inSeptember. Elwin St Rose from Columbus, Ohio, presented the message ofsalvation in a way that gripped the attention. Good News is what we wantedto hear at Brixton and we accepted that wherever the Good News is presentedthere is always hope for God’s people.

As Pastor St Rose preached the message, he constantly let us know thathe loved us as a people and that it was his intention to preach to those whohad heard the message before and to those who were experiencing it for thefirst time so that we could all take something from his preaching. Manyrenewed their relationship with the Lord and accepted the challenge to spreadthe Good News to others.

Kadian Northover, a music student of Northern Caribbean University inJamaica, introduced us to Christ through song as the singing evangelist, andat the end of the campaign seven people were baptised. VALERIE MOODIE

Lewisham church successfullyengaged and entertained its commu-nity in a colourful and well-plannedsummer festival. The very well co-ordinated festival in a communitypark attracted over 3,000 residentson 23 August.

Local residents came to enjoy avariety of programmes designed justfor them. The architect of the event,Dr Petula Peters, Personal Ministriesleader, used all the departments inthe church to raise our profile in thecommunity and to reach out in waysaccessible to the church’s neigh-bours. She said, ‘We tried to build

bridges and engage a diverse groupof local people, to meet their needsby providing a range of activities.’

The approach was innovative andunorthodox and it yielded dividends.

Tents and marquees were pitchedto house specific events, with thehealth message being dominant inits promotion through health screen-ing and advice. The health tent waspacked with visitors. Dr JoanChanner, Health Ministries leader,ensured that only vegetarian cuisinewas served. Our health services wonpraise from many residents.

Other activities included an

excellent display by the Pathfinderdrum corps. Many commented onhow great it was to see disciplinedand talented young people performso well in Lewisham. Someexpressed interest in their childrenjoining the Pathfinder club.

Families who brought their chil-dren were thrilled by the variety ofentertainments organised for chil-dren; bouncy castle, face painting,free balloons, arts and crafts andAlive Puppet Theatre – telling Biblestories to young children.

The main stage programmeincluded choirs performing gospelsongs. There was poetry, mime andtalent shows which saw many fromthe community taking part. Somevisitors hinted they would be comingto the church to hear more beautifulsinging.

The football tournament on the day attracted about 100 youth, including a Muslim team.Adventist literature was given out.Stanborough Press was representedin the park and many purchasedbooks. Also present was a Christiancounselling corner manned byCornerstone Counselling.

An enormous amount of planningwent into the event on the part of acommitted team who worked formonths for its success. In additionon the day the entire church wasthere to serve, guide and support theevent. The community was thusallowed to see what the church hason offer for all.

The event was promoted throughhandouts, banners, local press pub-licity and news releases, thus rais-ing the profile of the church. Thepresence of the police for securityand St John Ambulance for first aid added to the success of the festival.

The community members leftasking if it could be planned againnext year. It was different and niceand family oriented, said many.Many left with leaflets containing the church’s logo, books from theABC, leaflets and balloons with thechurch’s logo. An added bonus wasthe extensive two-page coverage inthe local press, The South LondonPress.

Indeed, the profile of theLewisham church was raised positively in the community.

Lewisham goes publicby Sam O. Davies

London Ghana: Problems,

restoration and revivalby Nana Sifa Twum

We still remember by Keriann Greene

Some of the baptismal candidates

Surrounded by husband, children, mother, sib-lings and friends on Sabbath 11 October2008, a most vivacious and vibrant woman

breathed her last as rays of sunlight infiltrated theotherwise dim hospital room. One day soon, thatbeautiful alto will sing the response to the call ofher coming Saviour. Yvonne was born the thirdchild to James and Edel Christie, joining Paulineand Richard. Two years after her birth in London,the family moved to Nottingham where theybecame integral to the growth and outreach of theNottingham Central church. Always health con-scious, Yvonne chose to be a vegetarian at the ageof 8, suffering a blip at the age of 11 when, aftertasting a slice of corned beef, she became sickand reverted to vegetarianism. It was this interestin healthcare that was to influence her career pathand inform her lifestyle principles. The fact thather parents were health practitioners hadundoubtedly struck a chord in her young life.Stepping out as a crèche assistant, progressingthrough administration work and experience as awelfare rights officer, Yvonne entered theUniversity of Central England in Birmingham as awell-rounded individual. In 1992, she graduated

with a BSc in Speech and Language Therapeutics.Her career blossomed and she became the teamleader and clinical lead at the Radford HealthCentre, Nottingham, specialising in bilingualism.Yvonne held this position until her medical retire-ment in April 2008. One could not mention thename Yvonne Christie without mentioning music inthe same breath. Yvonne played the piano and theukulele, writing her own songs, many of whichwere performed either as solos or by variousmusic groups over the years, including TheSunshine Singers, New Birth, Precious Time,Psalm 92 and Spiritual Addiction. Her vocal min-istry, whether as a harmonic partner or a soulfullead, reverberated throughout the Union in con-certs, church ministry and evangelism. Yvonne didnot restrict her church activities to musicalendeavours. She was conspicuous in her desire todevelop both the spiritual and physiological growthof her church family. Yvonne held the posts ofCradle Roll teacher, Youth leader andCommunication and bulletin secretary. She espe-cially relished her role as the Health andTemperance director at Nottingham Central, forwhich she researched and lived practically thevery material she presented in well-prepared dis-courses over Sabbath afternoons or themed week-ends. Living holistically, Yvonne’s family life grewto encompass the love she shared for her beau,

Reginald Phillips, a musically talented young manfrom Willesden who had moved to Nottingham andfound more than a new job and friendships. Aftersix years of courtship, the couple wedded on 27August 1995. Despite their strong Christian com-mitment to the Lord, they had their faith testedseverely on many occasions, such as when theirfirst child, Hannah, was born with meningitis.Happily, the prayers and support of family, churchfellowship and other friends bore happy fruit andHannah became a strong child, dedicated to theLord. The family grew further still with the additionof Daniel to complete the family. Sadly, illnessdogged Yvonne with the discovery of breast cancerat the age of 39. Wishing to be there for her chil-dren, she underwent radical and reconstructivesurgery in the hope that the malignancy had beenfully excised. However, despite leaving no remedyunexplored when the malignancy returned andmetastasised, Yvonne finally and peacefully sur-rendered to the call to rest from her labours.Yvonne certainly impacted on huge numbers ofpeople (between 400 and 600 attendees at herfuneral) in her relatively young life. Her youngfamily continues in the strength of faith that sheprayed for, waxing in favour with God and man.Through them, and the memories Yvonne FayChristie-Phillips left, her voice and impact willnever be silent, never be unfelt. SHAUN DOUGLAS

14 Messenger Messenger 15

When Ken Gammon became aSeventh-day Adventist in theearly 1940s he was regarded

as one of the most conspicuously gift-ed young people in Bristol’s Christiancommunity. Forty-five years later,affectionate recollections survivedamong those he left behind in theMethodist chapels and the evangelicalAnglican congregations of his efforts towin others to his new faith. The lastpicture they had of Ken was as thefront man and song leader for a majorAdventist evangelistic campaign con-ducted in Bristol shortly after his bap-tism. ‘Ken was visioned,’ recalls afriend who subsequently became anAnglican clergyman. ‘He was a youngman with bags of charm and sharpideas. And he was in a hurry! He wasa moderniser. He saw the AdventistChurch as the future,’ he concluded.

Ken Gammon had been born inMay 1920 into a respected WesleyanMethodist family in Bristol. His fatherwas a lay preacher and choirmaster.His grandfather had been superintend-ent of a Sunday School which cateredfor 150 boys and girls each week.From childhood Ken had been activelyengaged in church life and in scouting.Following his baptism he quickly madean impact in the Adventist Church andwas seen by Union and Conferenceyouth directors, E. L. Minchin and H. T.Johnson, as an obvious youth leader ofthe future.

Some years before his baptism, inthe penultimate year at school, Kenwas the victim of an accident thataltered the course of his life. He lostthe sight in one eye as a result of ashot from a catapult. Even with WorldWar II just under way that was suffi-cient to bring about his exemptionfrom involvement in the armed forces.Instead he was sent to work for theBristol Aeroplane Company where they asked him what he knew aboutengineering. Ken honestly replied,‘Nothing.’ His new employers promptly made him an inspector.

There was another sense in whichKen’s accident was life-changing. In connection with the last of his operations at the Bristol Eye Hospital

he encountered theatre nurse BerylCombridge, who fell in love with him atfirst sight. They married in 1943 andtwo daughters, Frances and Heather,were born to them.

Ken’s baptism had been precededby a series of Bible studies at Beryl’shome with well-known pastor/ evangelist Pastor O. M. Dorland.

Ken felt challenged by his newAdventist environment. His musicalgifts, including an excellent tenorvoice, and his personal charisma ledto his appointment as music directorand song leader for Pastor C. R.Bonney’s campaign in the BristolMuseum’s lecture theatre. Soon Ken’sgifts as a preacher were beingemployed at the churches in Bristol,Bath, Weston, Croscombe andSwindon. Ken was also engaged incorrespondence courses then availablefrom Newbold College.

Pastors H. T. Johnson and E. L.Minchin were instrumental in Ken’sentry to Newbold. The talent he hadshown and the experience he hadalready received resulted in a short-ened study course. He enteredNewbold in 1948 and graduated in1950. During his first year at Newboldthere was no accommodation for mar-ried students. That necessitated week-end travel by bus or bike (according toavailable finance) to visit his wife andgirls who were living with his parentsin Bristol. College fees were partiallymet by maintenance work and thedecoration of the college premises.

Ken’s first ministerial appointmentwas as an assistant to Australianevangelist Tom Bradley who was con-ducting a campaign in Chiswick. TheGammons then moved to Croydonwhere Ken pastored the church, andthe family lived in the house vacatedby the Bradleys. Southend and Graysfollowed Croydon. Between 1952 and53 Ken was publicity and advertisingmanager for the Vandeman evangelis-tic campaign in central London. Hiscontribution to the campaign wasnotable. Ten thousand people turnedout on the first night. An additionalsession had to be hurriedly scheduled.Ultimately attendance levelled off at2,500, but the resultant baptisms benefited churches throughout London.

1953 saw the untimely death ofSEC Youth director H. T. Johnson. KenGammon was called to be his succes-sor. There followed six productiveyears in which Ken conducted campsat Oxwich Bay and St Mary’s Bay inthe Gower. Ken’s vision and gift forinnovation led to the transformation of

the youth work in South England, moreespecially with regard to the MasterGuide movement which he promotedin all of the churches. He often repre-sented conscientious objectors at tri-bunals. Ken maintained his Londoninvolvement. For a time he conductedthe New Gallery choir and compèredthe ‘Best Saturday Night in Town’.

Between 1959 and 61 Ken servedas Youth director for the North EnglandConference. There he had a furtheropportunity to use his energy and gifts.Many remember the wonderful campsat Dinas Dinlle.

God’s blessing on Ken’s ten yearsin youth ministry, his effortless com-munication skills and evident gift foradministration, meant that he wasbeing spoken of as a future churchleader by the time he was 42. In 1962he was called to serve as VOP directorin the Southern Asia Division wherePastor C. R. Bonney, with whom hehad worked in Bristol, was then presi-dent. Safety was an issue when Kenministered in Burma. On one occasiontwo men were appointed to guard himwhile he slept. When he awoke the fol-lowing morning he opened the door todiscover that both had been murderedin the night. On another occasion hetravelled by train over a bridge which,immediately afterwards, was blownup. Ken enjoyed scripting and produc-ing the Radio Ceylon programmes forthe Division. Death threats werereceived by Ken while he was con-ducting evangelism in Pakistan.However, he continued his campaign,and in the same hall. One morning heread in the newspaper that the editorwho had made the death threats had been arrested in the night for corruption.

Between 1965 and 68 Ken wasback in Watford using his modernisingskills in a number of church depart-ments. He provided the Time forThought broadcasts for Radio Carolinefor some time. However, in 1968 hewas called to serve as executive sec-retary of the West African Union. InWest Africa, too, he had many adven-tures. None, thankfully, quite as life-threatening as those in the Indiansub-continent! On one occasion hewas detained at the Togo border and taken to the chief of police whoconfiscated his passport. He was keptovernight and ordered to preach in thechurch attended by the chief of policeto prove that he was, as he claimed to be, a preacher. To Ken this was awonderful opportunity to spread theGospel. His preaching was well

received. There were handshakes allround, and Ken received his passportback and went on his way.

When the Gammons returned toWatford in 1971 Ken becameStewardship, Lay Activities andWelfare director for the SEC. It wasthen that he promoted the Deed ofCovenant Plan which put theConference on a sounder financialfooting. The Union Session of 1976brought him the same portfolio at theBritish Union. From there he becameexecutive secretary of the BritishUnion. In May 1978, at theBournemouth session, Ken Gammonwas elected president of the SouthEngland Conference. The issue ofMESSENGER which reported this ses-sion (21 July 1978) acknowledged thechallenges that faced the incomingadministration but expressed the viewthat Pastor Gammon had the ‘wideexperience’ and ‘dynamism’ ‘vigorously[to] grapple with the problems that[lay] ahead’.

Towards the end of his administra-tion at SEC Pastor Gammon collapsedin Hong Kong and had to be flownback to Britain for pioneering open-heart surgery. With characteristic wit,when asked whether he objected tothe insertion of the first pig valves, heasked, how could he with a name likehis!

Following his recovery PastorGammon ministered in Milton Keynesand Stevenage and was Granosepadre until his retirement. After retire-ment he played a very active role inthe Hemel Hempstead church and sawa period of rapid growth there.

Ken now rests from his labours.The funeral service was conducted

in the Stanborough Park church onFriday 30 October, with his family supported by the presence of a largenumber of friends and colleagues,some of whom had travelled a consid-erable distance to be there. The serv-ice was conducted by Pastor PatrickBoyle, assisted by Pastors C. R. Perry,A. Hodges and R. A. Burgess.Interment was in the North Watfordcemetery where the family gathered to say their farewells, comforted byPastor Alan Hodges who conducted thecommittal.

Our sympathies go out to Beryl,and to daughters Frances and Heatherand their families. Together we antici-pate a glorious morning when thetrumpet sounds and the dead in Christwill rise to eternal life.ROY BURGESS with DAVID MARSHALL

Beryl Gammon and her daughters Francesand Heather wish to thank all those who havegiven love and support to the family over thepast few months. The cards and letters andsubsequent donations to The British HeartFoundation have been greatly appreciated.

Pastor Kenneth H. Gammon (1920-2009) d. 8 October

The theme was ‘The Centrality of the Cross’. Pastor Toy (Area 8 co-ordinator) said that this was a timeto focus on the greatest act that hasbrought mankind to God.

Fifty-nine members of thechurches under Area 8 – GreatYarmouth, Lowestoft, Colchester,Hutton, Ipswich, Norwich,Chelmsford and Harlow – gatheredtogether to share this assurance andhope that we have as Christians.The venue was the Pleasaunce atOverstrand in Norfolk. The managersCharles and Victoria cater forChristians of all denominations.

The participating ministers werePastor Michael Toy (Hutton andHarlow); Pastor Michael I. Walker (GtYarmouth and Lowestoft) and PastorChris Peake (Norwich and KingsLynn). Pastor Paul Smith(Colchester) was the main organiser

but unfortunately was unable to takepart due to ill health. There wereprayers on his behalf, and we hopethat he will be back on his feet soon.Pastor Walker took his place as programme manager and did anexcellent job in putting the eventtogether.

Pastor Michael Toy led out andwas responsible for vespers onSabbath. He said, ‘We must beawake, alive and know what webelieve and we must centre onJesus.’

In between the talks the PraiseTeam, Stephen and Frida deBruyn,were responsible for choosing thehymns of praise and organising themusical items.

The programme was designed toinclude recreation and a time toenjoy the fresh air and beautifulgrounds. There was a slot for every-

one to let their hair downand have a social. GlynJones acted as compèreand did a wonderful jobof organising and pre-senting funny sketches,duets and songs. Glyn istalented and soon hadeveryone laughing.

On Sunday, Sandrafrom the Harlow churchgave her testimony andas she spoke there werephotos on screen of herbaptism which had takenplace only two weeksbefore. She said that she had cometo the Harlow church out of curiosityand also because her son-in-lawwas an Adventist and it was hiswish to have his newborn babybrought up and dedicated in thechurch. She said that Pastor Toy had

made a huge impression on herwhen he preached, and she wascompelled to keep attending church.

The weekend was brought to aclose with the service of communionled by Pastor Toy.

Area 8 weekend of spiritual retreatby Yvonne Hill

A belated memorial obituary for

Yvonne Fay Christie-Phillips (1965-2008) d. 11 October 2008

Memorial

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