IS THE BIBLE WORTH READING?Lemuel K Washburn, atheist ofrenown and a scourge of religion-ists, answers the question in an

essay of the same title by saying,‘That depends. If a man is going toget his living by standing in aChristian pulpit, I should be obligedto answer, Yes! But if he is going tofollow any other calling, or work atany trade, I should have to answer,No! There is absolutely no informa-tion in the Bible that man can makeany use of as he goes through life.The Bible is not a book of knowl-edge. It does not give instruction inany of the sciences. It furnishes nohelp to labour. It is useless as apolitical guide. There is nothing in it that gives the mechanic anyhint, or affords the farmer anyenlightenment in his occupation.’

You need more than self-helpWashburn is entitled to his ideasabout the Bible. If, like him, onebelieves that there is no God, per-haps for such a person the Bible isnot worth reading, apart from thepossibility that by reading it onemight be led to believe in God. Forthose who believe in God there is noquestion that the Bible is a book ofknowledge. There is no other volumeof which I am aware that sets outthe problem with the human condi-tion, the reason we find ourselves inour present grim predicament andthe solution God has provided toextricate us from a pointless andhopeless life. This is the most

important knowledge there can be,albeit based upon faith. Additionally,no one can read Proverbs withoutrealising that nearly every verse ispregnant with practical counsel foreveryday living and human relations.Take, for example, the following quotations:

‘He who guards his lips guardshis life, but he who speaks rashlywill come to ruin. The sluggardcraves and gets nothing, but thedesires of the diligent are fully satisfied.’ (Proverbs 13:3, 4.)

‘A mocker resents correction; hewill not consult the wise. A happyheart makes the face cheerful, butheartache crushes the spirit. Thediscerning heart seeks knowl-edge, but the mouth of a foolfeeds on folly. All the days of theoppressed are wretched, but thecheerful heart has a continualfeast.’ (Proverbs 15:12-15.)

The authors of the many self-help books that are around couldlearn much from the wise manSolomon about how to fulfil one’spotential and get the best out oflife. People are paying big money toattend seminars that share con-cepts that could be got for free inthe Bible. Whatever one’s profes-sion or trade, there is much in theBible that one can find useful. TheBible also provides guidance forimportant decisions, strength whenfacing circumstances that arebeyond us, and comfort when indespair.

The greatest value of reading the

Bible is, of course, that of knowingthat we have not been left in thissinful world to drift along without theprospect of anything better. John3:16-18 rings with that sense ofhope and assurance: ‘For God soloved the world that he gave his oneand only Son, that whoever believesin him shall not perish but haveeternal life. For God did not send hisSon into the world to condemn theworld, but to save the world throughhim. Whoever believes in him is notcondemned, but whoever does notbelieve stands condemned alreadybecause he has not believed in thename of God’s one andonly Son.’ There is astory told of a manwho had

never read the Bible and who gothold of a copy for the first time. Hebegan reading it and some timeafterwards exclaimed to his wife, ‘Ifthis Book is true, we are lost!’ Thenhe read on and not long afterwardshouted to his wife, ‘If this Book istrue, we can be saved!’ That is thereal value of the Bible and thesupreme reason why it is worthreading.

Have you been robbed?Failure to read the Bible robs us ofone of the greatest resources thatGod has provided to help us have afulfilling and purposeful life.Woodrow Wilson, USA president from1913 to 1921, said, ‘I am sorry forthe men who do not read the Bibleevery day. I wonder why they deprivethemselves of the strength and ofthe pleasure.’

One of the characteristics ofbeing a Christian is that we acceptthe Bible as God’s revelation to us. If so, one cannot be considered aChristian unless one reads the Bible

Why read the Bible daily?The vigour of your spiritual life will be in direct proportionto the place the Bible has in your life and thoughts.by Don McFarlane, president, British Union Conference

>16

The first five books of the Bible,known as the Pentateuch, have tra-versed a vast amount of territorybefore they arrive at the climax oftheir presentation – the Book ofDeuteronomy. Here Moses standswith the Israelites at the borders ofthe Promised Land. Israel can lookback to a glorious past, as God res-cued them from Egyptian slaveryand brought them through thewilderness. They now look forward toa glorious future in the land – a giftof God’s grace. So Moses preacheshis final sermon, in which he looksback to the covenant they enteredinto with the Lord at Sinai, and alsolooks forward to life in the landwhere they will live out the princi-ples of that covenant. Scanning thepast and the future he sums up theessence of living life in the presenceof God. His final inspiring sermonmakes up the book we callDeuteronomy. And the principles heexpounded that day still have the

ring of truth all these centuries later.

LoveThe central principle for life lived inGod’s presence, and the main focusof Moses’ sermon, is ‘love’. ‘Youshall love the LORD your God with allyour heart, and with all your soul,and with all your might’(Deuteronomy 6:5, NRSV). Mosescould have chosen many terms todescribe the relationship with God,so why does he keep repeating‘love’? Only Psalms and Proverbsuse it more often, and Moses refersto it more than John does in hisgospel. His reason for doing so isprobably that it is the common verbused in ancient treaties andcovenants to describe the relation-ship between an overlord and hisservants. So when a vassal ‘loves’the Egyptian pharaoh, for example,he serves him and dedicates himselfto no one else. Seen in this lightthen, ‘love’ is a duty. This type of

love can be commanded – as it is inthe verse quoted from Deuteronomyabove. Love is no sentimentalabstraction, but a matter of commit-ment and faithfulness.

Israel’s covenant relationshipwith God entails a triangle of rela-tionships involving love. First, God’srelationship with Israel: ‘It wasbecause the LORD loved you … thatthe LORD … redeemed you’ (7:8).Secondly, Israel’s response to God:‘You [Israel] shall love the LORDyour God …’ (6:5). Thirdly, the rela-tionships which exist between indi-vidual Israelites who are in covenantrelationship with God. Surprisingly,however, ‘love’ is not used todescribe this. Rather than loving afellow Israelite, one demonstrates‘justice’: ‘Justice, and only justice,you shall pursue’ (Deut 16:20).(There is one apparent exception tothis in 10:19, but this relates to lov-ing an alien, not a fellow Israelite.)

In concrete termsIn Deuteronomy why should ‘love’describe God’s relationship to Israeland also Israel’s relationship to God,but never the relationship betweenfellow Israelites? The answer is that

love must be demonstrated in con-crete terms; a passion for justicedemonstrates that we truly love others. It is practical, down-to-earth, active love.

In his final sermon, therefore,Moses turned to matters of ultimateimportance for the people of God.God demonstrated his love for Israelthrough an act which brought justicefor them – freedom from slavery. Inreturn, Israel shows its love for Godnot simply in bowing before him butby ensuring that justice is woveninto the fabric of Israelite society.

If as Seventh-day Adventists wewish to be faithful to the Lord ourGod we might well be challenged aswe listen to Moses’ final sermon.True religious faith which is basedon a love for God must express itselfin a passion for justice. Not just the-oretically, but practically. Tacklinginjustice within the Seventh-dayAdventist Church is not a distractionfrom our mission, but a practicalexpression of our love for God. Onnumerous occasions throughoutMoses’ sermon we read, ‘All thepeople shall say, “Amen” ’. Can weecho that, not simply with ourwords, but also with our actions?

Messenger 3

‘moment of hope’ because Obama‘sought to combine a sober acknowl-edgement of the perils the nationfaces – the wars, the recession, themounting debt and ebbing confidence– with an unflappable assurance thatthey can be overcome.’

Adventist reaction in Britain toObama’s election has, in the main,been in that vein. BUC News quotesSEC president Sam Davis as saying,‘For those who have been alienated,suppressed and oppressed, Obama is asign that we are all equal and “Yes we can”.’The BUC’s president, Don McFarlane, has saidthat Obama’s election will enable the young torealise that with hard work, perseverance, goodmanners and the blessing of God there is nolimit to what they can achieve. If you have readDreams From My Father, you will have realisedthat there were many points in his experience atwhich he could have ditched grace andembraced bitterness. In the providence of Godand in democratic settings, the power is morelikely to come to visioned healers rather than theembittered and alienated. Indeed, as AbrahamLincoln’s story, as well as Obama’s story, exem-plifies, a qualification for the highest office is theability to deal with failure and adversity.

The least appropriate response to Obama’sinauguration came from a British politician inter-viewed on TV. He dismissed all the enthusiasmwith the words Samuel Johnson used of a friendwho had married for a second time after a noto-riously unhappy first marriage: ‘The triumph ofhope over experience.’ I found myself yelling atthe TV screen, ‘But hope must triumph overexperience! And it does, time and time again!’

The American sub-prime mortgage fiascospewed its ‘toxic assets’ around the world’sbanks, most notably our own. A collapse of con-fidence among financial institutions resulted,unprecedented in Britain.

British banks, businesses and consumershave been slow to respond to government initia-tives aimed at stimulating the economy. Thatmay have been, first, because the monetaristBritish instinctively retrench and cut back inthese circumstances and, secondly, that theywere waiting for an initiative from the countrywhere all the ‘toxic assets’ began.

That, we must hope, is where PresidentBarack Obama will come into his own. ‘Obamawill need ONE TRILLION DOLLARS to kick-startthe American economy,’ said Time magazine.‘John Maynard Keynes, the trendiest dead econo-mist of this apocalyptic moment was godfather

and capacity, regardless of age.3. Three key elements to good learning are: chal-

lenge, change and new information. Activitieswhich involve an element of challenge thatbecomes more difficult as you improve are best.The activity should include change which involvesfresh situations and tasks as these switch onadditional brain cells. Learning something newgrows new brain connections, enhancing brainstimulation.

4. Brain training games and exercises are fun waysto keep the brain active. Keep a puzzle book,crossword or Sudoku close at hand for brain-boosting moments.

5. Include other stimulating activities like meetingnew people, reading, improving your cooking orlearning a new language.

6. People (interesting ones) are a good stimulant. A rich network of friends boosts the brain and increases our connectivity and

IAn apocalyptic momentDavid Marshall

I thought I had been inoculated against Americanpolitics ages ago. I mean to say . . . all that raz-zamatazz, that chanting, those banners, thewhole showbiz thing, the gaseous oratory, andthe ‘Mah-Fellow-Americans’ bombast. . . . Whattook me by surprise and captivated me about theinauguration of President Barack Hussein Obamawas the absence of all that.

John F. Kennedy’s ‘Camelot’ never impressedme: high style, low substance. I am relieved thatObama looks further back than Kennedy for hishistorical heroes and finds them in AbrahamLincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. The crowd ofmore than a million who spread out for milesalong the National Mall – ‘the happiest crowdever to grace the nation’s capital’ (Time),despite freezing temperatures – did not have tolisten to ‘soaring oratory’ (The Times). However,‘No incoming president has ever caught theimagination of the world like this one.’ (TheGuardian.)

Obama’s eighteen-minute address was aserious speech for serious times. Not sinceRoosevelt came in in 1933 has the US and theworld faced so precarious an economic situationas the current one. Obama promised ‘bold andswift’ action on the economy. He promised thatAmerica would ‘leave Iraq to its people, winpeace in Afghanistan’ and he offered ‘a new wayforward’ to the Muslim world ‘based on mutualinterest and mutual respect’. To America’s ene-mies he said, ‘We are willing to extend a hand ifyou are willing to unclench your fist.’

Obama’s first act as president was to orderthe suspension of all tribunals at GuantanamoBay. He has condemned his predecessor’s uni-lateralism, arguing that ‘our power alone cannotprotect us, nor does it entitle us to do as weplease’. He acknowledges the reality of globalwarming, warning that Americans cannot ‘con-sume the world’s resources without regard toeffect’. While praising the power of the marketsto create prosperity, Obama stressed that ‘with-out a watchful eye they spin out of control . . .’ .

The greatest US presidents have not been‘cheer leaders’. They have been men who forcedtheir people to look into the mirror. ‘The nationcannot prosper long,’ said Obama, ‘when itfavours only the prosperous.’ None of this willcome as any surprise to those who have readObama’s brilliantly written autobiographicalDreams From My Father.

‘[The inauguration] was, for the Americans, aday of joy,’ said The Washington Post editorial.With their first black president ‘they took a greatstep on the long path to overcoming the stain ofslavery and discrimination’. It was also a

Stimulation and learningTwo issues ago I mentioned that I had tried out thebrain exercises in the new Puzzler Brain Trainermagazine that I had purchased over the Christmasholidays. I also stated that I would reveal how I goton with them. Truth is, I did well in some, fair in others and let’s just say that the remaining categorymeant there was room for improvement.

So what helps us to learn and keep the brainactive? Take note of the following ten tips as essential brain boosters for learning.

1. As physical exercise keeps the body fit, so mentalexercise enhances brain activity. If you don’texercise it, like your body, the brain will become‘flabby’. We strengthen our mental muscles andbrain capacity by challenging them.

2. To keep the brain active attempt a new skill likelearning to play a musical instrument. Thisboosts brain activity and stimulates brain cells

interaction with others. 7. Aerobic exercises are an excellent brain enhancer.

Check with your GP what best suits you.8. Stress and low mood can suppress brain function.

Learning to manage these challenges is crucial formental well-being.

9. Proper nutrition (particularly group B vitamins andomega 3) is crucial to maintaining brain health, asis adequate rest which rejuvenates the brain.

10. Memory enhancing activities are key to effectivestimulation of the brain. Try to memorise some-thing new every day as it keeps the brain sharp.Learning passages of Scripture is one beneficialexercise as it boosts both mental and spiritualhealth.

Next issue we examine how to retain what we havelearnt.

Good health!

of government stimulus,’ wrote the Time team.‘The strict monetarist principles we all believedin during the eighties would dictate the collapseof the world’s largest banks and the demolitionof its principal industrial plants. That cannot beallowed to happen. Keynes has been resurrected.His central idea – that aggressive deficit spend-ing is the way to stimulate flat-lined economies.’

When J. M. Keynes first made his prescription(in the early 1930s) it represented an invitationto permit hope to triumph over experience. TheBritish National Government lacked the courageto adopt the Keynesian prescription. In the USthe newly-elected F. D. Roosevelt viewedKeynesian ideas differently. When he was elect-ed, a quarter of his nation’s workforce wasunemployed and what remained of its credit system was on life support.

Roosevelt made hope triumph over experiencewhen his New Deal helped the world economyslowly to arise from the Slough of Depression.

We can be grateful that Roosevelt is one ofObama’s historical heroes!

‘Behind, above and through all the play andcounter-play of human interests and power andpassions, the agencies of the all-merciful Onesilently, patiently [work] out the counsels of hisown will.’ E. G. White, Education, page 173.

The all-merciful One guarantees that, oneday, right and justice and hope will triumph overexperience. ‘Set your troubled hearts at rest,’said Jesus. ‘Trust in God always; trust also inme. There are many dwelling-places in myFather’s house; . . . I’m going to prepare a placefor you. . . .’ (John 14:1-3, REB.)

You can ‘go wrong with bricks and mortar’!But the Father’s House is made of eternal stuff. There is room for you when, in the finalapocalyptic moment, hope triumphs.

Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father, his lifestory, and The Audacity of Hope, the ideals hestands for, are both published by Canongate andcan be bought in most bookshops.

Brain Health Part 11b

The last words of MosesNewbold’s Dr Laurence Turner whets our appetite for Deuteronomy

2 Messenger

When asked ‘Did Darwin get anythingwrong in The Origin of Species?’Richard Dawkins replied: ‘Darwin goteverything pretty much right except he

hadn’t the foggiest idea about genetics.’ (RadioTimes.)

Evolutionists expected the fossil recordwould have vast numbers of transitional formsbut instead they have found not one. Darwinhimself said:

‘There are two or three million species onEarth. A sufficient field one might think forobservation, but it must be said today thatin spite of all the evidence of trainedobservers, not one change of the species toanother is on record.’ (Life and Letters, volume 3, page 25.)

Darwin confessed in his book, The Origin ofSpecies:

‘To the question why we do not find rich fos-siliferous deposits belonging to theseassumed earliest periods prior to theCambrian system I can give no satisfactoryanswer . . . the case at present must remaininexplicable, and may be truly urged as avalid argument against the views hereentertained.’ (page 309.)

Did Darwin get that ‘pretty much right’?You may be old enough to remember that at

one time it was believed by evolutionists thatunder the proper conditions of temperature,time, place, and so on, decaying matter simplyturns into organic life. This theory has nowbeen abandoned according to Webster; and Dr George Wald, Nobel Prize winner of Harvard University, states, as honestly as an evolutionist can:

‘One has only to contemplate the magnitudeof this task to concede that spontaneousgeneration of a living organism is impossi-ble. Yet here we are – as a result I believe,of spontaneous generation.’ (ScientificAmerican, August 1954.)

Spontaneous generation is impossible butwe are here as a result of spontaneous genera-tion. What child in any secondary school are yougoing to get to believe that?

This is not an isolated instance of evolution-ists holding up some new idea as the answer totheir searches for an explanation for the uni-verse that does away with the need to believe inan almighty God, only to discover a very shortwhile later that their theory has developed afatal flaw. And they are not above fudging theevidence, only to be caught out red-handed.

I suspect you don’t like the use of that term

‘fudging the evidence’. Evolutionists have not hesitated to forge artefacts where none existed,and there have been several attempts at foist-ing a man-ape transitional form on a gulliblepublic.

RAMOPITHECUS – formed from a fragmentof jaw and several teeth.

PITHECANTHROPUS ERECTUS (JAVA MAN) –found by Dubois; consisting of an ape-like skulland from 50 feet away a human leg bone. Thishoax is still accepted by many evolutioniststoday.

AUSTRALOPITHECUS, in spite of its name,was found in Africa. The knee joint was animportant find because it showed that the crea-ture walked erect. It was later revealed that theknee joint was found over a mile away and 200feet deeper than the other bones.

PILTDOWN MAN – a human skull was doc-tored up with the jaw of an orang-utan. Theteeth were filed. It fooled those who so muchwanted to believe in evolution.

And so I could go on – Neanderthal Man,Nebraska Man, all fakes. I call that fudging theevidence. When you discover you have been lied to repeatedly, doesn’t it dash your belief in thistheory?

With all the millions of boreholes that havebeen dug all over the world, and more than 120years of searching, the missing links betweenthe different life forms are still missing. ColinPatterson, one time director of Paleontology inthe British Museum of Natural History, has writ-ten: ‘There are no connecting links in the fossilrecord.’

The problem is that evolution has gone toofar. If they were to retract what they have beenvigorously promoting for so long, millions oftextbooks would have to be destroyed, muse-ums all over the world would have to take downtheir exhibits and the public would never trustthe scientists again.

And that would be a real shame, for not allscientists have hooked their wagon to the falsestar of evolution. There are scores of scientistsof every discipline, with degrees from presti-gious US and British universities, who believethe world was created very much as it says inthe book of Genesis.

I find in the writings of Sir Julian Huxleymaterial that sounds remarkably like whatDawkins is saying:

‘To sum up, natural selection converts ran-domness into direction and blind chance intoapparent purpose. It operates with the aid oftime to produce improvements in themachinery of living, and in the process gen-erates results of a more than astronomicalimprobability which could have been

achieved in no other way.’ (Evolution inAction, pages 54, 55.)

Don’t miss the force of that last sentence.The evolutionary changes wrought by naturalselection are astronomically improbable, butbecause Huxley sees no other way for it to be done, he believes in the astronomically improbable.

Sir Julian computed the likelihood of everyfavourable evolutionary factor being able toproduce a horse. In his book Evolution inAction, Huxley gave the odds this way:

‘The figure 1 with three million noughts afterit: and that would take three large volumesof about 500 pages each, just to print! . . . .No one would bet on anything so improbablehappening; and yet it has happened.’ (page46.)

Professor Dawkins might like to think thatthere is a science of evolution, but everyoneelse knows that after 199 years it is still a the-ory. The preponderance of physical scientificdata is on the side of creation, not evolution. * Frank Blewitt is a retired teacher and IT specialist who lives in Watford.

EDITOR’S NOTE David Attenborough, who hasdone more than anyone else to enthuse us with alove for the natural world, continues to put hisfaith in evolution. Interviewed by the religiousaffairs correspondent in The Guardian on 27January, Attenborough complains about the ava-lanche of ‘creationist hate mail’ he receives fol-lowing his programmes. That is deplorable, espe-cially in light of the fact that he replies to corre-spondence from interested questioners. However,when he tells The Guardian, ‘Evolution is not atheory; it is a fact,’ he, too, is ignoring so muchscientific evidence that he is betraying the samenaiveté as the authors of his hate mail. The onlypiece of scientific evidence he advances for hisrejection of ‘the notion of a divine and benevolentcreator’ is the existence of a ‘worm [that] cannotlive in any other way, except by burrowing througheye balls’. I can put the existence of the wormdown to the perversion of nature caused by theFall. But the eye itself is what fascinates me. Howcould that have ‘evolved’?

Thanks to Thelma Smith of Feltham,Middlesex, who draws our attention to an article(based on an interview with Sir David) publishedby the Mail in Weekend in connection with the200th birthday of Charles Darwin. Confronted withthe question, ‘Why are we here?’ he ‘longs for thecomfort of faith’. Jenny Johnston’s article is titled‘I wish I could believe in God.’ However, I havebeen unable to find the place where Sir Daviduses those actual words.

For those readers who have been upset by thecontribution of Professor Dawkins of The GodDelusion to Darwin’s 200th birthday celebrations,I could recommend Professor Alister McGrath’seasy-to-understand 78-pager The DawkinsDelusion: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denialof the Divine (published by SPCK and available inhigh street bookshops).

Messenger 5

It depends upon how we lookat it. Jesus voluntarily hum-bled himself (Philippians2:1-16). He neither needed,

nor ever sought, any humancommendation (John 5:41-44);the only valid commendation heacknowledged was that of hisFather (John 5:37; 8:18). He isour Example: we need to stickto this, or fail. We need nomore; we could have no better:or we would stand in the samedanger that caused Lucifer tofall. Those sent forth by thelowly Saviour to minister are notcalled to find honour; but to giveservice and to endure suffering(Matthew 10:16-39).

Jesus said, ‘I am the Light ofthe world (John 8:12); also, ‘Youare the light of the world(Matthew 5:14, 16). Every childof God is to be a light; or per-haps, rather, a lens throughwhom Christ shines. The lensknows no brilliance but that ofthe light: when the light shinesthrough it, only the light is seen;the lens is totally invisible: thelens has no brilliance of its own.Its only measure of usefulnesslies in its capacity to focus thelight clearly. Jesus said, ‘Letyour light so shine . . . that they

may . . . glorify your Father . . .in heaven.’ The Saviour is ouronly true Pattern of ministry,whether ‘lay’ or pastoral. Sentforth by him, on him alone mustrest our entire dependence(Isaiah 57:15; Jeremiah 9:23,24; 17:7, 8). To him alone, inconsequence, all praise andthanks are due.

Of what did the ministry ofthe Saviour consist, when Godvisited mankind? Of simple,self-giving service to all whosought his help or healing; orwhose needs his own heart ofcompassion perceived. ‘Firstviolin’, or ‘second fiddle’? Youjudge. Did the Saviour everaspire, or was he ever ‘elevat-ed’ to administrative responsi-bilities? He, never! His missioninfinitely transcended all suchearthly aspirations or appoint-ments. This is precisely where,due to our own fallen condition,our concept of ‘second fiddle’and ‘first’ is all too inclined tobe inverted, topsy-turvy,upside-down. In prophecy,Jesus is called, ‘The Lord’sServant’ (Isaiah 42). He minis-tered impartially to the ‘lowliest’and the ‘loftiest’: a human soulis a human soul; and our

necessities do not differ essen-tially. Wherever there was ahuman need, Jesus was there:to serve, to minister God’s freegrace, or healing: to not only thespiritual, but also the practicalneeds of human souls. Thereare many things that we ashumans may aspire to; but none is truly greater than this.

Jesus said, ‘You have notchosen me, but I have chosenyou, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forthfruit . . .’ (John 15:16); and, ‘I know whom I have chosen’(John 13:18). As participants inthis inestimable privilege – and‘Who is sufficient for thesethings?’ (2 Corinthians 2:16) –how we may perceive ourselvesis neither the vital, nor the validpoint. When Daniel was granteda vision of God’s Son, he testi-fied, ‘All my comeliness wasturned in me into corruption’(Daniel 10:8): as the candle-flame in the light of the noondaysun, all his own virtues van-ished. Yet his divine Messengeraddressed him, ‘O man greatlybeloved’ (Daniel 10:19). Whatreassurance also for us all isfound in the words of thebeloved apostle in 1 John 3:19-21. He who feels confident inhis own ability to minister inChrist’s place is not ‘fit for purpose’.

Which draws me back to theoriginal Messenger editorial(7.11.08) that was the provoca-tive cause of this rescript. Thereare so many, such diligent andfaithful elders and pastors –together, each with his devotedwife – both in active serviceand retired, beside those nolonger with us: name afterblessed name leaps to mind:such finest examples of truestministry; yet it would be invidi-ous to name any, for one couldnot name all. David erred whenhe began to number Israel. Who

made me judge? Only God canreckon up the score. God aloneknows the true quality of theministry of any pastor or lay-worker; and he alone can blessthe ministry of his faithful shep-herds, each with his own indi-vidual talents which God’s prov-idence bestowed on him or her.Nevertheless there are thosewho have been a beacon-light,and ever shall remain so, uponmy own path. Yet we need tobeware lest we inadvertentlytumble into the ditch of ‘person-ality culture’ so prevalent today.Known only to God, and to theflocks they serve, God’s faithfulservants work, in the mainunnoticed and unrecognised,entirely out of the glare of pub-licity. Indeed, the most effectivepastoral work is always done,not under the blaze of the spot-lights, but inconspicuously andunperceived.

In conclusion, may I add myown testimony. No man couldhave elevated me to (nor I havechosen) a place higher, or morehonoured, than that which, as Itrust, God himself, in his kind,wise, patient and omniscientprovidence, assigned in pastoralministry. The opportunitiesplaced directly in my paththroughout my years of serviceto minister to souls in needhave, as I perceive, by God’sgrace so miraculously blessedthose souls and myself as well.And also, in the ‘minor key’, hisown merciful providence trans-posed the worst mistakes of myministerial service into his owngreatest blessings (is that notthe very ‘theme’ of redemp-tion?), to the eternal glory of his name alone, who is theincomparable Composer.

‘If we bless others, we also bless ourselves; for theinfluence of every good deed is reflected upon our ownhearts.’

4 Messenger

On 7 November the Editor paid tribute to members who havebeen content to serve in subsidiary roles and pastors whohave spent their careers shepherding (and adding to) theflock without climbing the Church’s corporate ladder. Thearticle was called ‘Saints of the second fiddle’.

Very correctly PASTOR RON V. EDWARDS wants to put meright on that one! Pastors should not be seen as ‘second fiddles’ but as ‘first violins’! I should have seen that onecoming!

Pastor Edwards’ response was immediate. We apologisethat he has had to wait for publication until the series onAdventist attitudes to stress-related illness, depression andsuicide was concluded.

Readers will discover that the article was worth waitingfor.Editor

‘Second fiddle’ or ‘first violin’? 150 years after the publication of Origin of Species

Has faith in evolution been shaken?by Frank Blewitt*

Messenger 7

‘Young man, you shouldn’t be wearing that in here’by Pastor Adam Keough, Irish Mission Youth sponsor

The well-meaning elderly gentleman strode towards me. To be hon-est, I didn’t know what to think! It was my first time at a Fridayevening programme for weeks, maybe even months – and I’d evencome because I wanted to be there! Yes, I did attend the worship

service most weeks, but I wasn’t really interested in it, and I certainly did-n’t read my Bible or pray at home (as far as I can remember anyway). Iwent to church because my dad went and I had been brought up to go.‘Young man, you shouldn’t be wearing that in here,’ he said again. ‘Pleasetake it off or go outside.’ By this time he was by my side and had laid agentle hand on my shoulder – not in a malicious way I might add, but in away that assured me he was serious.

I can remember the rush of frustration, or was it even anger that I felt?Here was I, setting foot in a Friday night meeting and the most importantthing that this gentleman had to say to me was: ‘You shouldn’t be wearingthat in here.’ I couldn’t believe it! Was my wearing of a baseball cap in thechurch more important than my actually being there? I remember consid-ering my two options: Should I stay, or should I leave right away and notcome back – ever? Yes, it was that big a deal. . . .

Unfortunately, many of our young people face the same decision nowas I did thirteen years ago. The ‘problem’ with them may not be the wear-ing of a baseball cap as it was for me. It may be that they’re wearingjeans, a shirt that has one too many buttons undone, or a gleaming goldnecklace. Or the ‘problem’ might be a guy with an earring, a Mohican, fluorescent green hair or a girl who has recently got pregnant.

As I look back at that defining moment in my life, I have to thank Godthat I didn’t turn around and leave, never to go back. But let me assureyou, some have, because they were given the impression that what theywere wearing or what they had done was more important than their beingthere! As I look back I am challenged to consider how I act now.

I believe that Paul gives us some excellent advice in Romans 15:1, 2 &7. ‘We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and notto please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbour for his good,to build him up. . . . Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,in order to bring praise to God.’

According to this we must remember that each one of us has alreadybeen welcomed and accepted into the Kingdom of God only because of thelove and grace which God has, in Christ, shown towards us. God’s wel-come and acceptance of us, even though we are sinners, is the basis forour call to welcome and accept others who are sinners just like us.

Our acceptance of one another also brings praise to God. This is anawesome idea to sit down and think about! The flip side of the coin is thatwhen we don’t accept someone we are bringing the opposite of praise toGod.

Finally, we are not the focus – God is, then our neighbour is, and then us. We should do everything in our power to focus on building ourneighbour up in a way that will lead him or her closer to Jesus Christ.

As young people right across the UK and Ireland consider whether ‘Godis for them’ and make eternal decisions about their acceptance/rejectionof salvation in Jesus Christ, may each one of us continually show a loving,graceful, welcoming hand of acceptance to them as they come to ourchurches.

Adventist to non-Adventist on the 8.30 to Euston:‘Jesus is coming again soon!’

Non-Adventist to Adventist:‘I don’t believe you! If you really believed that, youwould have told the whole train by now!’Fair comment?

In the new Focus:• Six facts everyone should know about the Second Coming

of Jesus – by Doug Batchelor• What a difference a day makes – by Mark Finley

+ health and story features

Focus is the British Union’s official outreach publication. It ismeant for mass distribution in your community

Focus is 25p per copyA year’s subscription costs £2.9550 copies = £15.45 inc. p&p100 copies = £27.95 inc. p&p

Order through your PM secretary or directly on 01476 539900

If you believe it – go for it – Focus can help

Whenever a special Sessionis called it can be safelyassumed that somethingunusual is afoot. That is

true of the special Session whichhas been called by the BUCExecutive Committee for 17 May2009 at the Stanborough Parkchurch in Watford.

Many are asking why this spe-cial Session has been called. Theshort answer is that the UnionCommittee has recommended major changes to the Constitutionregarding the manner in whichfuture regular Sessions of the Unionare conducted. These changesrequire the approval of delegates in Session.

What are these changes andwhy are they necessary? Let meanswer the last question first:The changes are designed to:• improve the process by which

officers and directors are elected;

• improve the quality of accounta-bility and openness that isoffered to all members;

• engender greater dignity in themanner in which leaders arechanged;

• reduce the cost of holding aSession;

• improve delegate participation.

Improved process by which offi-cers and directors are elected:Current practice does not allowadequate time for assessment ofand reflection on those who are toserve as leaders of the Union. Theprocess is rushed and can easilylead to decisions that do not reflectthe needs of the Union and thedirection in which delegates andmembers in general wish to see itgo. The proposals for change pro-vide months rather than days overwhich these important decisions areto be made in future.

Improved quality of accountabili-ty and openness: The recommend-ed changes envisage an arrange-ment whereby all members, asopposed to the few who travel to aSession, can receive and reflect onthe work of church administration.

Additionally, all members will bekept abreast with the electiveprocess, though only delegates willbe able to participate in it.

Greater dignity in the manner inwhich leaders are changed: Ourrecord in this connection is notgood. The sudden removal fromoffice of incumbents without noticeor reply is seen by many as harsh,sometimes humiliating and destruc-tive to reputations. Proposals thatwill come to the special Session, ifapproved, will eliminate most ofthis and ensure a smooth transition.

Reduction in cost: The BUC seemsto spend significantly more on aSession than her sister Unions in other parts of the world. The current cost of a BUC Session isequivalent to the annual subsidy toStanborough School, or 60% of thecost of running all departments fortwo years, or the cost of threeyears’ evangelism budget. One ofthe proposals that are designed toreduce cost is having the Sessionover one day as opposed to the traditional four days. A one-daySession also facilitates the eventbeing held in one of our churches orinstitutions, thus ensuring thatthere are no big bills to pay for hallhire and that delegates are in famil-iar and friendly surroundings.Accommodation cost would also berelatively small.

Improved delegate participation:The new proposal provides for everydelegate playing an active role inshaping the future of the Union’sprogramme, as opposed to mostdelegates being passive spectators.

Now you may be wondering howa Session could be held over justone day. It is done by ensuring thata number of important matters areaddressed prior to the Session. It iscommon in North America for aUnion or Conference Session to beheld over one day. We are used togoing through the process ofappointing a RecommendationsCommittee, then StandingCommittees at a Session. TheseStanding Committees would meetover days or hours, depending onthe nature of their work, and then

bring back a number of recommen-dations to the full delegation forapproval.

In most cases where a one-daySession is held, the work of theRecommendations Committee andStanding Committees is done priorto the Session. For example, theRecommendations Committeemeets about three months prior tothe Session, with the NominatingCommittee meeting about tenweeks before the Session. Thenames of those recommended foroffice are published, with a mecha-nism in place for delegates whowish to raise objections to thosenames. Having gone through thatprocess, all that remains for dele-gates to do at the Session, as far as the leaders are concerned, is tovote on the recommendations.

One reason for having a UnionSession from Wednesday to Sundaywas that such an arrangementallowed us to have a special Day of Fellowship on the Sabbath.Members who were present at thelast two or three Union Sessionswould have observed that, apartfrom delegates, invitees and guestswho were present throughout theSession, there were not many oth-ers present on the Sabbath Day ofFellowship. Perhaps this is tellingus that the Session Day ofFellowship is not as necessary as it once was. District and area daysof fellowship, as well as campmeetings, seem to meet the needfor members to come together en masse from time to time.Consequently, the Session Day ofFellowship has lost its pulling powerand the need for it to be a feature ofthe overall programme.

Another reason for having afour-day Session was the need toconsider, propose, allow time forreflection and approve constitution-al change. Constitutional changenow requires public approval, inaddition to the vote of a Session,and is best dealt with by a StandingCommittee.

A reduction in the number ofdelegates to a Session is among theproposals to be presented to dele-gates in May. A survey of dele-gate/members ratio from variousparts of the world shows that the

BUC has by far the highest ratio.Unions in North America with largermembership than that of the BUChave a much smaller delegationthan ours. With a membership offewer than 30,000 the BUC’s delegation is just over 400. TheSouthern Union in the USA has amembership of 223,000 membersbut only 234 delegates. The WestIndies Union with a membership of 262,000 has just over 400 delegates. The current delegate/members ratio in the BUC is 1:75.The ratio in North America rangesfrom 1:300 to 1:1000. That for theWest Indies Union is 1:655. If ourratio moved from 1:75 to 1:150 itwould still be double that of thehighest ratio in North America and possibly the entire world.

One obvious question is how dowe reconcile a reduction in thenumber of delegates with greaterdelegate participation? Despite thefact that there are approximately400 delegates at a BUC Session,not many are able to participate inthe work of the Session, apart fromengaging in the voting process. Witha smaller delegation the plan is forall delegates present to participatepersonally in discussions, recom-mendations and decisions. Forexample, it is expected that theentire delegation will serve as thePlanning Committee, with delegatesdivided into various groups to dis-cuss how the Union can progress itsprimary areas of operation. A writ-ten report on the work of the Unionduring the quinquennium is to beprovided as usual, with a consoli-dated oral report by the presidentgiven at the Session. However,quality time is to be spent by alldelegates discussing and determin-ing the evangelistic, nurturing, educational and humanitarian work of the Church.

Some might be concerned thatthe new approach to conducting aSession could possibly lead toabuse of the system through politi-cal manoeuvring. Such a concernwould be valid. However, it isimportant to bear in mind that anysystem, including that which is cur-rently in force, can be abused. TheExecutive Committee accepts thatthe proposed changes are not perfect but are likely to lead to ahealthier process of choosing lead-ers and a sharper focus on theChurch’s mission. I invite the allmembers to join me in praying thatdelegates to the special Session willmake the right choices.

6 Messenger

Special BUC Session – May 2009by Don W. McFarlane, president

Sabbath 20 December saw historybeing made at the New LifeAdventist church as approximately400 people gathered to celebrate thechurch’s new home at 8-10 LennoxRoad, Finsbury Park, London N4.After twenty-one years in the wilder-ness, finally God had provided thegrowing and vibrant congregationwith a home they could call theirown. Having been formed as achurch in 1987 after one of London’sgreatest evangelistic campaigns,conducted by evangelist J. J.Rodriguez as part of the HarvestLondon initiative, over 220 newbelievers were added to the churchout of which was born New Life!

In those days all roads led toNew Life, for it was indeed alive withvibrant singing, powerful preaching,telling testimonies and fellowship tofeed the soul. Prayer meetings werepacked and, as for Sabbath, by9.30am the church would be nearlyfull.

Having been first located inTottenham and then WoodberryDowns, New Life finally found ahome away from home at the UnitedReformed Church in PortlandAvenue, Stamford Hill. Havingsojourned there for almost eighteenyears, they were finally given noticeto move in 2007. The members didnot give up hope of one day finding ahome of their own. A short stay atthe St Andrews Church of England church in Stoke Newington provided them with a greater zeal to find a home.

In May 2008 the former YMCAbuilding came on to the market at£1.1 million. However, it was seem-ingly out of the church’s reach. NewLife was notified that the buildingwould be placed in an auction. Itwas with nervous anticipation that apre-auction bid was offered andaccepted for a miraculous£890,000!

The acquisition of these newpremises has led to a flood of giftsto the church from members andfriends alike. One member donated abrand new electronic baby grandpiano, another donated a wide-screen television, another carpeted

the foyer, another donated the plat-form, another the podium, and yetanother, a freezer, dining table andmicrowave; the list of generositygoes on. But the greatest gift to theNew Life church has been the gift oftime by its members and friends,who sacrificed to clean, paint, cookand decorate in order to get thebuilding ready for its opening day.

It was with a sense of pride thatmembers and visitors filed into thenew building to see and to celebratewhat God had done for the New Lifechurch. Sister Eglantine Baptiste, theSabbath School superintendent,proudly welcomed everyone to thehistoric event in this new churchhome. The Sabbath School lessonwas taken by Dr Richard de Lisser,former pastor of New Life (1994-1999). The sense of joy and happi-ness on the faces of all who attend-ed the opening day’s service washeightened by the vibrancy of thepraise and worship. Pastor SamDavis, president of the SouthEngland Conference and guestspeaker for the day, stated that if he could bottle up the worship service and send it out around theconference he would!

During the worship service aspecial time was set aside for prayerand the dedication to God of thechurch furniture. The main offeringwas collected in a unique way aslocal pastor, Augustus Lawrence,called on everyone to come to thefront of the church and bring theirgift and place it in the buckets pro-vided. A total of £3,000 was raised.Pastor Lawrence then cast a visionfor the church to raise £100,000 forthe future development of the building in 2009.

After a hearty lunch the servicecontinued with a baptism, whereeight new members were added tothe church, one being a man in awheelchair who was helped into andout of the pool by the men of thechurch. The teamwork and evangel-istic fervour of the members of theNew Life church, as evidenced onthis opening day, will serve as a catalyst for the future growth of theNew Life church in its new location.

Volunteer with ASNADo you enjoy working with young people? Would you like to make a difference in their lives?

Bright Futures, a project of ASNA, needs youth workers to support anactivity week held during the summer holidays. This fun-filled week isorganised to support Young Carers* by providing:• challenging activities• the chance to share experiences with other young carers, and• personal development opportunities.

Volunteering as a youth worker for this project will:• provide you with new skills and• enhance your career opportunities.

Details for activity week 2009:Venue: Avon Tyrell, New ForestDate: 10-14 AugustTraining and expenses will be provided.

For further information contact ASNA office. Name of contacts: Sophia Nicholls/Helen BattenTelephone: 01491 833395, Mobile/text: 07768 298297Email: asna@special1.fsnet.co.uk Website: www.asna.info

* Young carers are young people aged 8-19 who care for family memberswith disabilities or special needs. Due to their caring responsibilities,young carers face daily challenges which affect their health, social devel-opment and economic prospects. Bright Futures provides opportunities foryoung carers to take a break from their caring role and socialise with theirpeers.

Messenger 9

A Seventh-day Adventistcouple brought up on thesame road in the samevillage of Croscombe cele-brated their 75th wedding

anniversary on Boxing Day. Jim and Doris Hardy,members of the Croscombe church, exchangedtheir vows in 1933 at a Baptist church inShepton Mallet when Jim was 24 and Doris just18. Unfortunately their wedding photographsfailed to come out, so they have no record ofthe big day. However, Jim and Doris have had alot more success with their marriage.

Jim, 99, a former champion cyclist, and hiswife Doris, 93, are both fit and healthy andthanking God for his goodness.

Jim worked at the Great Western Quarry, abig local employer. He remembers the first carin Croscombe – an Austin owned by his boss –and how the men of the village gathered toexamine it.

Doris worked for a commercial photographerin Wells.

Doris and Jim lived in Canada for someyears, where Jim worked as a lumberjack in thefar north. He recalls: ‘I was working in themountains in snow four feet deep and at tem-peratures of 40 degrees below zero. That’s notgood for a Brit.’ But the couple loved the out-door life and the camaraderie in the tiny com-munity of forty other Adventist families. ‘Therewere bears, and the moose used to come roundthe house at night. It was wonderful,’ recallsDoris. Later they moved to the sunnier climes ofCalifornia before returning to Somerset, alongwith the 4,000 budgerigars they bred while living in Los Angeles.

How has their marriage lasted seventy-fiveyears? Doris said with an impish smile: ‘It’s apuzzle sometimes, but our healthy lifestyle, having never smoked or consumed alcohol, has promoted our longevity.’

Jim said: ‘The Lord has been good to us. Hehas led us along.’

Today Jim and Doris live happily at theirhome in Portway, Wells.

8 Messenger

Happily married for 75 years!by Dr Richard de Lisser, Communication director, SEC

Vegetarian cooking clubThree months ago, the Weston-super-Mare church began a health outreachprogramme entitled ‘Eating Better, Paying Less’. The advertising promised ‘toptips for a healthier lifestyle based on a vegetarian diet’.

We began the programme on 2 October with fifty-five visitors attending –which blew off our oven mitts! We were at the point where any latecomerswould have been turned away. Regrettably, it did mean that our church hallwas overly full and seating was at a premium, which also meant that manycould not adequately see what was happening in the front. Three months andsix sessions later, we are all amazed at the interest that the programme hasgenerated.

We have been glad to extend hospitality to at least thirty-five consistentvisitors! As we meet for our fortnightly sessions, the aroma of fresh vegetableson the cooker mingles pleasantly with the light banter and laughter of peoplebecoming friends. All ears are attentive to hear ladies share what their hus-bands thought of the latest dish. Cooking tips are exchanged. Conversationsare longer. Questions relate to more personal matters. Four new faces arrivedat our fifth presentation, and close on forty people enjoyed a three-course vegetarian Christmas meal on 11 December.WAYNE ERASMUS

Balham is renowned for fosteringyoung speakers on Children’s Day.But Balham’s children’s day on 22November was a little different. Thistime not just one but two plays wereperformed for the church. The firstplay was during Sabbath School andwas organised by Joanne Passleyand performed by the Primary class,with stunning performances fromMatteo, who played theyoung Pharaoh, andAshleigh, who played theolder Pharaoh.

During divine servicethe church was blessedwith an entire productionof Moses and the Journey.Moses was played byJonathan, Aaron by Dariusand Miriam by Abigail. Itwas a real treat to see

children of all ages involved in bothproductions.

The teachers of the JuniorSabbath School want to thank all thechildren, teachers and parents fortheir hard work in helping to makethe day such a blessing. A guitarrecital of ‘Come, Thou Fount of everyblessing’ was played by 12-year-oldLeah. NATASHA SHARMAH

A Moses at Balham

New Beginning at New Life!by Dr Richard de Lisser, Communication director, SEC

On 27 December, Stafford children’sSabbath School department hosted aFar East thirteenth Sabbath Schoolprogramme and children’s party. Thechildren and teachers had been busypreparing songs and poems, talksand piano recitals, as well asrehearsing their weekly memoryverses. Japanese phrases andMandarin songs had been organisedwhile the children and SabbathSchool teachers took part in prepar-ing the decorations and costumesthat reflected this Far Easterntheme. While the focus of the thir-teenth Sabbath programme hadbeen based on the evangelistic workof the Far Eastern Division, theStafford junior Sabbath Schooldepartment also saw it as a greatwitnessing opportunity. Non-

Adventist friends were invited alongto join in the celebrations and theprogramme saw members and visi-tors alike listening, singing, watchingand taking part in the practicalactivity of making and decoratingtheir very own paper lantern, com-plete with name tag featuring theBible verse, Psalm 119:105. Laterin the programme, the children heldtheir completed paper lanterns aloftand sang along to the children’sfavourite, ‘This little light of mine’.Our non-Adventist visitors alsoreceived homemade cinnamon andhoney loaf with a special Christianbookmark as a gift. The eveningended with a children’s feast ofcakes, fruit and children’s partygames. DANA SUDWORTH

Rededication of Sutton-in-Ashfield church

November 1 was a celebration of many months of hard work by mem-bers of the Sutton-in-Ashfield church. This had involved arrangingcontractors of various trades to carry out interior and exterior work.

With financial help from the NEC, we were able to proceed with the alter-ations as planned. The work began with the removal of the old platform anda new area created, giving room to accommodate more people taking partduring programmes without being obscured by the old structure. This partic-ular work included the reconstruction of the steps across the front to enableeasy and safe access to the platform. The sanctuary was also re-carpetedto match the church hall.

The outside of the church was repainted and a new notice board andchurch sign have been erected. A new hymn-board was skilfully constructedby our treasurer’s husband, Terry Hall. Our new mobile pulpit now has thedenominational logo on it, artistically created by member, Gabriel Skocny.

The PA system also had an overhaul. The old system was realigned tooperate from the rear of the sanctuary, with the addition of radio micro-phones and a ceiling-hung video projector, giving a much-improved audioand visual quality. Our new up-to-date system now caters for all our needs(including the use of laptop projection), and we are able to invite all ourguest speakers to bring their equipment with them!

Sabbath School began with songs of praise, and the lesson was taken byour pastor, Melvin Ellis. Pastor Egerton Francis was our guest speaker of theday, ably assisted by Conference treasurer Marcus Dove. The church over-flowed not only with praise and joy but with visitors and local membersfrom near and far. There was standing room only. The afternoon programmeof music and praise was organised by Jean Gregory and Moray Stewart.Members gave testimonies, which were indeed a blessing to all.

Sutton’s singing group ended the day by singing ‘What a day that will be’. MORAY STEWART

VACANCY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLTEACHERFollowing the recent permanent appoint-ment of Kathleen Hanson as head teacherat Stanborough Primary School, a vacancyhas arisen for a Primary Class teacher,preferably at Key Stage 2.

Ideally, the chosen candidate will haveseveral years of experience, as well as aPrimary School teaching qualification.Individuals who apply need to be flexible intheir approach to teaching and learning. Inkeeping with the ethos of the school, suit-able applicants will need to be able to func-tion well as part of a team. The child-centred approach that is evident at theschool is a key element of its success. Anyperson joining the team will need to be ableto incorporate this approach in their class-room.

Stanborough Primary School is a well-managed institution with a team of dedicat-ed and hardworking staff. Christian valuesare practised by the teaching and supportstaff, and a new team member should besympathetic to the ethos of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who run the school.

Salary will be in line with the denomi-national scale. Potential candidates shouldhave the right to work in the UK.

If you are interested in applying for thispost, please send your CV for the attentionof Mrs Kathleen Hanson, Head teacher,Stanborough Primary School, AppletreeWalk, Garston, Watford, Hertfordshire.WD25 0DQ. The closing date for applica-tions is 28 February 2009 for interviews tobe held in early March.

Messenger 11

Darwin revisitedby Victor Hulbert, Communication director, BUC

It is hard to ignore the barrage of media excitement around what theDarwin day website calls ‘a global celebration of science and reason’.February 12 was the 200th birthday of the evolutionary biologist Charles

Darwin. A further celebration will occur this October with the 150th

anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species.Seventh-day Adventists have always held fast to the Genesis account of

origins, yet in the current climate many are asking whether science and reason can still go hand in hand with a belief in Creation. ‘Darwin Revisited’

addresses that question from the perspective of four scientific Christianswho value being created in the image of their Maker. In a specially commis-sioned programme made by the BUC Media Centre for Hope TV, John Smith,a former BBC journalist, talks to astronomer Dr Mart de Groot, chemist DrJohn Walton, consultant engineer Dr Steve Logan and science teacher KishPoddar. They explain how they can stand up for their faith and belief in thescientific community and what that belief means to them.

‘Darwin Revisited’ is available now for viewing and download on the UKHopeTV website: www.hopetv.org.uk, along with extended interviews. A DVDwill shortly be available for bulk purchase. These are a fantastic companionto the special edition of FOCUS on ‘Origins’ and can be used as a positiveway to share good science with our friends and neighbours.

10 Messenger

The quiz is in multiple-choiceformat with twenty questions foreach subject and five possibleanswers. This means that alto-gether it contains twenty-eightsubjects, 560 questions, and2,800 answers!

The whole quiz can be completed just using a mouse – no keyboard is needed. It is alsoarranged in such a way that everyuser scores 100% on each sub-ject! This is achieved by only let-ting users move from a questionwhen they’ve got it right. Anadvantage of this approach is thatlessons are learned as you goalong, rather than having to waituntil the end of the quiz.

The competitive element comesin through a timer. As soon as auser begins a quiz the clock startsticking. It only stops when the finalquestion is completed, and at thisstage the user is presented withhis or her completion time and anauthentication code which can beused to prove that the time is gen-uine. In testing, times of less thanthree minutes have already beenrecorded for certain subjects.

The quiz was written over thelast year by Pastor John Surridge.‘This kind of project is what I likedoing in my spare time as ahobby,’ he says. ‘The coding isdone in a combination of PHP,MySQL, HTML and JavaScript, butwhat took the most time wasresearching the questions andthinking up imaginative answersfor the multiple choice section.Over the last year I have thorough-ly studied the twenty-eight funda-mental beliefs of the Adventist

Church and it has been a reallyhelpful exercise. Even as a pastorit’s surprising how much you canforget if you don’t keep studying,and I would encourage all of ourmembers to revisit our fundamen-tal beliefs and remind themselvesof just how much sense theymake.’

‘I see quiz28 being used bymany different types of people,’John continues. ‘For those doingbaptismal studies it can be a use-ful summary of each topic, and itcan also be useful preparation forsome of our Sabbath School les-sons. What I’d really like to see,though, is people doing it just forfun – particularly young people. I’dlike to see them competing for thefastest times and talking about itwith their friends. We’ve alreadygot the “Follow the Bible” projectand if quiz28 can help to makeBible study enjoyable, then it’s gotto be a good thing.

‘I can also see quiz28 making acontribution to our “Year ofEvangelism”. If we can publicisethe site and get members of thegeneral public involved, then theycan learn something about ourfundamental beliefs before theyever set foot in an Adventistchurch. Obviously the quiz alonecan’t give them the detail theyneed, but on completion of eachquiz they are presented with linksto sites such as the AdventistDiscovery Centre where they canenrol in more in-depth courses.’

The quiz28 website is now fullyoperational, so why not try it outand tell your friends about it?Webmasters are welcome to putlinks to quiz28 on their own sites.Any international webmasters whowould like to translate the wholesite into another language shouldcontact the BUC Communicationdepartment for further details.

Brand-new Bible quiz launched

Adventists Believe book and features twenty-eight differentquizzes, each one matching one ofthe twenty-eight fundamentalbeliefs of the Adventist faith.

A brand-new web-based Bible quizhas been launched this week.Named ‘quiz28’ and located atwww.quiz28.org, the new quiz isbased directly on the Seventh-day

Members of the Stockport church choir

Stafford: Far East programme

Adventist-Muslim relationsFifty-five attendees visited theAdvent Centre on 14 December tolearn more about the fast developingarea of Adventist-Muslim relations.

The day started with a stirringdevotional on what a mighty dayJesus was born, by ElizabethKavanagh, a member of the

Community Fellowship group inLewisham.

Attendees then experiencedwhat, for many, was their firstArabic lesson from Joy Braithwaite, amember of the Stratford church, whospoke about the beauty and intricacyof the language and about howimportant it is in witnessing to have an appreciation of the other

person’s language.The SEC director of AMR, Pastor

Petras Bahadur, then highlighted thework of AMR – to build relationswith the Muslim community and tosupport those wishing to reach outto Muslims.

John Bishop, a member ofNorbury church, then spoke aboutthe many similarities betweenAdventists and Muslims, both interms of culture and beliefs, thathighlight a natural connection withour Muslim friends.

Following a typically deliciousAsian lunch, attendees were quizzed by Petras Bahadur on their knowledge of Islam.

Attendees were then transfixedas they were treated to a fascinatingexploration into Islam according toBible prophecy by John Bishop.

Danny Julie, MC for the day,spoke about the common groundbetween Adventists and Muslimsand highlighted that AMR does notexist to convert Muslims but ratherto educate Adventists and to equipus for ministry with our Muslimfriends.

Attendees were left wantingmore, as was evidenced in thelengthy question and answer time.James Payne, an attendee fromWimbledon International church,

said, ‘The day was very enriching. Inow feel better equipped to interactwith my Muslim friends.’

Please see the SEC website forfuture AMR events.AMR TEAM

Stockport choirOn Sabbath 10 January the Stockport church had an appreciation

service in which they recognised the members of their church choirfor their ongoing support. The choir, which formed in the middle of

last year, has performed in concert with a choir from London last year, andsings regularly in church and represents the church at various functions.

‘The choir members are very dedicated to spreading the Word of God insongs and praise,’ said choir director Calvin Handfield, ‘and whether it issnowing or raining, the choir shows up at practice, determined to spreadGod’s Word in music and songs.’

The church is very supportive of its various groups.www.stockportadventists.co.uk CALVIN HANDFIELD

as prayer was offered that effec-tive spiritual changes would occur intheir lives.DELVA CAMPBELL

GBK: Pathfinder investitureOn 6 December Great Brick Kilnchurch accommodated thePathfinder and Adventurers investi-ture in a well-attended congregation.They began the morning with march-ing in the sanctuary to the sound ofrhythmic drumming, while othersheld high the colourful flags. Theinvestiture programme progressedwell into the day and activitiesincluded the giving of badges, pre-sentations and certificates from theNEC leaders to the various achiev-ers. The highlight of the day was the

Smile at the stormPastor Arthur Campbell was in reflective mood as he delivered the

sermon at Kingston church on Sabbath 20 December. It has been atrying year for the church, especially after the death of two members.

Phil Zamudio died in March after a short illness and Rashford Lyttle waslaid to rest on 9 December. They had both been very active in the churchand had been faithful servants of God. Pastor Campbell reminded mem-bers that as children of God we should always remember that, despite thedifficulties, sadness and trials, the Lord has been good and has donegreat things for his people.

On the positive side, church members have clung firmly to their faithand have been working hard in their area. In June, members fromKingston and Mitcham had gathered together and joyfully welcomedMarshall Mukahiwa (Kingston church) and Dominic Best (Mitchamchurch) as they were baptised by Pastor Campbell, who is responsible forboth churches. It had been a very moving service, with families andfriends, special items, beautiful music, lively singing and inspiring mes-sages. Pastor Campbell had urged all present to give their hearts to theLord and not delay as we never know what tomorrow holds.

Pastor Michael Hamilton, Personal Ministries director at the Trans-European Division, had been the guest speaker at the baptismal service.Dr Hamilton had described baptism as ‘the doorway to God’s Kingdom’and stated that life is full of uncertainties and the storms of life alwaysstart unexpectedly when someone accepts Christ as their personalSaviour. ‘When the storms of life come your way, remember that Jesus ison board and you are not alone. With Jesus in the vessel you can smile atthe storm, because he is in control.’ LUCY KANU

Praise ‘Psalty’ musical ‘Heart tochange the world’. May God continue

Messenger 13

On Sabbath 29 November theBolton church was filled withguests from far and near towitness the graduation

ceremony of the first MicroCHIP programme in East Lancashire.MicroCHIP is the leadership trainingprogramme for the Coronary HealthImprovement Project, which trainsteams of volunteers to run CHIP inthe community. MicroCHIP ran dur-ing the month of November at theBury (Fishpool) church. Twenty-oneparticipants from seven churchesgathered every Tuesday for two ses-sions a day, from 10am till 3pm. The programme was organised bythe East Lancashire District ofChurches; Bolton, Bury, andBlackburn, and facilitated by districtBible instructor Rose Gomez.Participants attended from as farafield as Barnsley, and three of theManchester churches: North, Southand Central. National CHIP co-ordinator Gene Koll and NEC HealthMinistries director Grace Walsh werepresent to launch the event on 4November and to officiate at thegraduation service.

It was agreed that MicroCHIP isthe modern face of the Adventisthealth message. The amazing reve-lations from Dr Hans Diehl, founderof the CHIP programme, showed that

many of the major diseases preva-lent in Western society can be pre-vented and, in many cases, reversedthrough simple lifestyle changesadvocated and clinically proven inthe programme. These diseasesinclude heart disease, hypertension,stroke, cancer, diabetes, osteo -porosis and obesity.

Testimonies from the participantsconfirmed the clinically reportedfacts:

‘Health screening in sessionone showed my blood sugar to be16. Four weeks later it was downto 7.5. My blood pressure wentfrom 179/95 to150/75. I discov-ered that fat in the diet is themain factor in developing type 2diabetes, not sugar, as I hadalways believed. This has revolu-tionised my life as a diabetic.’ (D.Taylor, Manchester South.)

‘With my doctor’s approval Icame off my medication for dia-betes during the four-week pro-gramme, because of the lifestylechanges I implemented as I waslearning them. I intend to write tothe Director of Public Health forBarnsley, enclosing a copy of theCHIP “Advantage Journal”, tointroduce CHIP to him as a publichealth programme for my localdistrict.’ (M. Rossiter, Barnsley.)

‘I lost 8lbs and as a resultcan wear this suit for gradua-tion.’ (J. Couzins, EastLancashire district.)

‘At the age of 72, I cookedfrom a recipe for the first time inmy life. Comments on how goodit tasted encouraged me to pre-pare the same dish for our grad-uation dinner. I have lost 10lbs, Iwalk instead of using the bus,and go to bed at 9pm instead ofmidnight. I move about now likea young man!’ (B. Chege,Bolton.)The medical team of six health

professionals was responsible forthe two health screening sessions,including blood sugar, weight, height,BMI, blood pressure and pulse. Thefive-member nutrition team ensuredthat a heart-healthy lunch wasserved every Tuesday, includingrecipes from the MicroCHIP RecipeBook, compiled by Sharon Platt-McDonald, BUC Health Ministriesdirector. Other teams whose hardwork ensured the success of theprogramme were the registration,housekeeping and audio-visualteams and the group facilitators.

This MicroCHIP was planned torun as a ‘full dress rehearsal’ for theCHIP programme scheduled for May2009 in Bury. Consequently we

divided participants into groups,with two facilitators for each group,so that we could practise the smallgroup principles of the CHIP pro-gramme. During CHIP, guests fromthe community will mingle withchurch members in small groups ateach of the sixteen sessions, so thatfriendships can more easily and nat-urally develop. The principle workedso well that, at the final session,people were asking, ‘What shall wedo next week?’ ‘Can we arrange tomeet together regularly now thatMicroCHIP is over?’

The health benefits experiencedby all participants convinced themthat the Adventist health message inthe form of CHIP is a must for ourphysically ailing communities. Allwho took part expressed their deter-mination to promote CHIP as thehealth evangelism programme fortheir local church. We join with thethousands of CHIPPERS worldwidein the motto: ‘Healthy by choice, notby chance!’

12 Messenger

First MicroCHIP graduation inEast Lancashireby Rose Gomez

GBK: Youth DayYouth day at Great Brick Kiln Streetchurch, Wolverhampton, on 29November was a special event.Children were supervised in theyouth hall in order to make space forvisiting friends. The preacher for theday was Andrew Fuller and his ser-mon was entitled ‘Watch out! You’resleeping on the borders’.

Andrew echoed the sentimentsthat today was not just another daywhen the youth could mingle togeth-er and ‘kotch easy’. He urged themto make serious decisions about liv-ing for Christ. With dynamic heart-searching and convicting calls to theyouth, Andrew Fuller offered chal-lenges to wake up, throw away anyungodly music addiction or anythingelse that hinders full commitment toGod. A trail-blaze appeal resulted ina remarkable response from all theyouth in the congregation who madetheir way from their seats to thealtar. They solemnly surrendered

special welcome given to a newly-qualified Master Guide Mrs DawnHiggins. A lively sermon cementedthe spiritual bond of the moment. DELVA M. CAMPBELL

Children’s Day atWalthamstow church‘You are special’ was the theme forthe day as relatives and friendswere treated to a special programmeat Walthamstow church on 6December. There was rousingsinging, a passionate praise teamand three sermonettes – all led by children from Walthamstowchurch.

The day culminated in a colourfuland animated production of the Kids’

Dundee baptismal candidate: Back from the deadArthur Gall has lived through some dramatic changes in his life,

including being pronounced dead in a motorcycle accident, to work-ing in London, to life as a soldier and then a long spell in entertain-

ment management. But a new chapter opened on Sabbath 10 January ashe was baptised in the Dundee church by Pastor Marcel Ghioalda.

A catalytic moment came for Arthur in 2006 when a tyre exploded onhis car and he was badly injured. Hospital staff predicted he would need azimmer frame for the rest of his life. Arthur felt a nearness to God andsensed that he had other plans for him. He left hospital under his ownstrength and began reading more of the Bible. He found it hard going butan inner voice kept telling him: ‘Twice you have been close to death andsurvived; are you going to ignore the truth this second time?’

The Bible gradually became easier for Arthur to read as he found thateach sentence, each verse, each paragraph, applied to him in a personalway.

About a year later Arthur met someone on the Internet who was aSeventh-day Adventist. She said not a word about Adventism, but as theygot to know one another she told him of her beliefs and the fundamentalsof her faith. One day she suggested he go along to the local Adventistchurch to see what it was all about. He did! He was kindly received andmade welcome.

Since that day, Arthur’s faith has grown stronger and stronger until, ashe said of his baptism, ‘I believed I had MADE IT, achieved my goal, onlyto realise I had only made it to the start line with so much more joy tocome.’

Pastor Ghioalda emphasised in his sermonette that baptism is a publicdeclaration of an inner conviction. It symbolises belief in the power of Godto change lives radically as well as acceptance into the family of God. Thespiritual atmosphere was heightened as all-time favourites ‘The oldRugged Cross’ and ‘Amazing Grace’ were sung. Pastor Neil Robertsonoffered a beautiful dedicatory prayer as Arthur was welcomed into theDundee church family with acclamation. JOHN WALTON

to inspire our children to work forhim. RAY MARSHALL

ROSE DUNHAM (née WOODS)(1912-2008) d. 19 February2008. It is with great sadness thatwe report that our ‘Auntie Rose’ fellasleep in Jesus aged 95. Rose wasborn two years before the FirstWorld War, on 20 April 1912. Shegrew up in a Christian home, oneof six children, four brothers andone sister, in Leyton, East London.As a young teenager she was intro-

duced to the Seventh-day Adventist faith with her mother andyounger brother Frank, by attending an evangelistic tent meet-ing led by Pastor O. M. Dorland. The tent was later replaced witha church building there in Walthamstow, where they were bap-tised and worshipped regularly. She was unable to finance train-ing to be a Bible worker so she entered domestic service. Sheworked for Dr John Shone and his family in Walthamstow forseveral years. Both he and his family had a strong influence onher Christian life. During this time she met a young musicianand apprentice printer named Percy Dunham from Tottenhamchurch. They were married at Holloway church in 1937 byPastor C. A. Reeves and continued to give faithful service to theHolloway church for forty-five years, Percy as organist and Roseas deaconess. They also supported the wonderful evangelisticcampaigns of Roy Anderson and George Vandeman. Rose foundso much joy in her church life. She was an amazing collector forIngathering, faithfully covering the same territory for thirtyyears. She loved singing the hymns and listening to the HollowayMale Voice Choir. After Percy’s retirement from his work as amaster printer they moved to the Mendip Hills in Somerset to becloser to Rose’s younger brother Frank and his family. Here theyenjoyed the beautiful surrounding countryside and the warmfellowship at Weston-super-Mare church. Sadly, Rose lost Percyto cancer in 1987, a few months short of their fiftieth weddinganniversary. From then on, Rose lived alone with care and sup-port from Frank, Mary, Hazel and Peter, her brother’s family, untilshe had to receive professional nursing care at the age of 92. Weare full of admiration for the care she received from the GeorgeMuller home and the constant support and love her brotherFrank gave her. Rose was fiercely independent and attendedchurch each week until she was too frail. She was faithful to herLord and he granted her good health and a long, happy life, al-lowing her to pass away in her sleep. We thank God for AuntieRose’s life, for her wonderfully strong character, her faith andher great generosity to others. ‘Be thou faithful unto death and Iwill give thee a crown of life.’ (Revelation 2:10.)HAZEL MARIE (née WOODS)

LIVINGSTONE BISHOP (1931-2008). Livingstone M. Bishopwas born in Barbados to Seventh-day Adventist parents in 1931.As a youth he was baptised at King’s Street Adventist church,Bridgetown. He took an active part in church work. BrotherBishop came to London in the 1950s and the first church he at-tended was Holloway. He became associated with the Male VoiceChoir and maintained those links throughout his life, singingwith the All London Male Voice Choir for the last time inDecember 2007. When Livingstone attended Holloway church hemet Sister Otto and they were married in 1958 by Pastor C.Farrow. Brother Bishop attended the New Gallery Centre for awhile, and then he attended Stoke Newington church throughthe leadership of Brother N. Ashley. There he was very involvedin church work. He became an ordained elder and in the 1980sPastor H. Kennedy asked Elder L. Bishop and Elder L. Roberts tostart a church in Clapton. They worked very hard in Claptonchurch, but now they are both at rest. We are hoping to see themagain when Jesus returns.JANETTE MORRIS

SKAIDRITE LAKE (1960-2008) d. 29 October. Thechurch at Sutton-in-Ashfield was filled with sadness as membersand friends gathered to pay their respects to our lovely Latvianlady Skaidrite Lake who died suddenly on Thursday 29 October.Skaidrite was born in Smiltene, a small town in Latvia. She wasone of four children and before coming to Britain was a studentat Smiltene Technical College, where she acquired the professionof an agronomist and for some time worked in Russia. She even-tually arrived in West Scotland to work on the salmon fishinggrounds and from there went south to Cornwall where she metBrian who drove the agency bus. Brian came back to Mansfieldand, soon after, Skaidrite followed him where Sutton churchwere delighted with her presence. Skaidrite was a charming ladyand appeared a very happy person. She will be sadly missed.MORAY STEWART

CAMAY GRIFFITHS (1962-2008) d. 31 October. OnSabbath 1 November a bright light went out in Peckham church.One of our dear sisters, Camay Griffiths, lost her battle againstcancer. Camay fought the battle with her illness long and hardwith the support of some of her close friends. Camay Griffithswas born in Hanover, Jamaica, on 5 July 1962, to Winnifred Gray

and Vincent Griffiths. Camay left Jamaica and arrived in Englandat the age of 8. Camay’s parents were Adventists and raised herto know and fear the Lord. She attended Lewisham church for afew years, and later renewed her vows in the Peckham church.Camay has always been hard-working and ambitious. After leav-ing school, she worked for many years in the Inland Revenue.She worked in management positions in various departmentsbut unfortunately was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. Shehad treatment and made a good recovery. Camay lived a very un-selfish and fulfilling life and was baptised in Peckham church on24 February 2004. She was always willing to help and give ad-vice to others. Despite her illness, she never complained. Duringthe final stages of her illness, which came back after ten years,she fought daily to look after herself. She tried various naturaland alternative remedies to keep herself well. Unfortunately, shecouldn’t fight any longer and passed away peacefully after arousing song service, anointing and worship at her bedside onFriday 31 October. Camay’s calm and gentle spirit will always beremembered. Camay was laid to rest on Thursday 20 November.She leaves behind a daughter, granddaughter, mother, twobrothers and many other family members and friends. We lookforward to meeting her again on that great resurrection day.BERYL NICHOLSON and CAROL JOSEPH

CASSIE SMILEY (1902-2009) d. 4 January. Mrs CassieSmiley, affectionately known as ‘Aunt C’, was born in Joyce’sHope in Jamaica on 4 April 1902, and passed away on 4 January2009 at 106 years of age. Her funeral service was held at the StThomas and St Luke’s Anglican church in Dudley, West Midlands,on Tuesday 20 January. The funeral service was led by local min-ister Pastor Roy Morgan, assisted by the resident Anglican min-ister, the Reverend Tony Atwood, and several other areaministers. The sermon was given by the British UnionConference president, Pastor Don McFarlane, who had served asthe late Sister Smiley’s pastor in Jamaica thirty-five years before.‘Aunt C’, married Alexander Smiley at the age of 16 and producedsixteen children, several of whom she outlived. She became aSeventh-day Adventist due to the influence of one of her daugh-ters, Lucilda. The Lord Mayor of Dudley, paying tribute to her,talked of her great wit and sharp mind. He remarked on herChristian faith and commitment, which was evidenced on hisvisits to her. She was never reticent to share her faith and en-quire of his own spiritual welfare, and to pray with and for him.CHURCH CLERK

GLENDA OPILAS (1967-2009) d. 6 January. On 6 Januaryat 3.30pm in the Bacolod Medical Adventist Centre in thePhilippines, Glenda Opilas fell asleep in the hands of God at theage of 41. Glenda was born in Malaybalay Bukidnon, Philippines,on 14 December 1967, the eldest of the three children ofBenjamin and Gloria Opilas. She pursued her primary and sec-ondary education at Negros Mission Seventh-day AdventistAcademy. She finished her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at

Central Philippine Adventist College. While waiting for job opportunities, Glenda was a big help to her father in running thefamily business of making bread and tasty soya milk. There shemastered the art of making cinnamon bread which is one of thefavourites of the people in the community. She practised hernursing skills first in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, workingthere for four years, and later as a staff nurse at the QueenElizabeth II Hospital in Birmingham in 2001. She joined theBourneville church, where she served faithfully in various posi-tions, in particular leading out in the Nightingales singing groupof which she was director. In 2006 Glenda was diagnosed withbreast cancer, which she fought with great fortitude, finallygoing into remission. In 2008 the cancer returned and she de-cided to return to the Philippines to be with her family. On 1September 2008, the Bourneville church bade farewell toGlenda. Her last words to her church family were a testimony insong, ‘Take my life and let it be/Consecrated Lord to thee. Takemyself and I will be/Ever, only, all for thee.’ She was a friend, asister, a woman of God, and though she was assailed by illnessand pain, she kept up her courage, knowing that she had sur-rendered everything to God. Glenda sleeps in Jesus as she waitsfor the voice of the Life-giver who, one glad day, will call her andall those who have fallen asleep in him. Sleep on, beloved, itwon’t be long now.LANI JAVELOSA

GWYNETH PHYLIS HILDA MUD-FORD (née JOHNS) (1907-2009) d. 7 January 2009.Gwyneth Mudford was born on 11May 1907 in Aberbargoed, SouthWales. She was proud of her Celticancestry and, till her end, nearly102 years later, carried a distinctlyWelsh accent. Born into anAdventist family, she served Jesus

faithfully all her life. She was a member of Roy Allan Anderson’sLondon Choir during his many campaign meetings. Later in lifeshe became a member of Russel Kranz’s choir at the New Gallery,also through various series of meetings. Gwyneth married RegMudford who predeceased her. Gwyneth served as a part-time librarian at the New Gallery and made many true and lastingfriends. As she grew older her friends became younger. Many ofthe younger generation regarded themselves as friends of thisold lady and she revelled in their love. Left to mourn her are her adopted daughter Susan and her husband Billy,Christopher her grandson, Christine and Nicholas, Kathryn andBenjamin her great-grandchildren, and Nicholas, Holly andWillow, her great-great grandchildren. Jesus is coming again. Shewill be among those raised to meet him, with her husband Reg.She was cremated at the Gorleston Crematorium and friends andfamily and various ministers of her acquaintance of her long andhappy life attended the service. SUE INGRAM

Messenger 1514 Messenger

Today is Tuesday 20 January. Barack Obama willstep onto the podium to pronounce his inauguralspeech in an hour or so. But I am not going to beable to make it to a TV screen in time. There is noelectricity here. Still, it doesn’t matter. I am enjoy-ing the moment, sitting under a mango tree in thevillage of Seologhin in West Africa, watching astream of Burkinabe ladies pour out of an adultliteracy class, the class benches hoisted abovetheir heads. On the bench beside me are two project evaluators, who have been hired to gaugethe difference that ADRA-UK is making in twelvevillages in this part of Burkina Faso through theTeng Koglogo or ‘Save the Earth’ project.

The three village notables who are being inter-viewed are sporting woolly hats. The temperatureis an unseasonable 14 degrees. Two of them arenot wearing shoes. Their torn and calloused feet

indicate a life of great physical exertion and smallrewards. The third man is the village chief. Hespeaks some French. Conversation ranges fromthe training that ADRA has been dispensing tolocal women to help improve their vegetable pro-duction, to the need to protect and enrich the for-est here, a process which ADRA is supporting, tothe nearby dam, which is planned.

I ask if ADRA has done anything in the field ofwater here. The three men grin and the youngestand most talkative man, Saidou Zoungrana,laughs: ‘All the water points in this village havebeen put in by ADRA.’ He points past a huddle ofgranary barns made of freshly woven matting tothe latest ADRA-UK-funded water point, one ofeleven boreholes which have been sunk in thepast month. Saidou waves his arms. ‘If there was no ADRA, we would have no water here.’

Water from ADRA-UKby James Shepley

Comings and goingsat Newbold early in2009Lecturers in theology, Dr GunnarPedersen and Jan Barna, each spenta week in Belgrade in January teach-ing a module in Newbold’s distance-learning MA offered to Seventh-dayAdventist pastors in South EasternEurope.

Dr Steve Currow visited Chantmarle Manor House in Dorset twice inJanuary. On his first visit, he and Dr Mike Pearson spoke to the South EnglandConference Adventist University Students weekend. On his second visit hewas joined by Pastor Gifford Rhamie when they both spoke to the SouthEngland Conference Youth Leaders’ Convention.

Dr John Preston from the Institute of Education, London University, gavethe first Diversity Lecture of the semester.

Early in February, Newbold’s principal, Dr Jane Sabes, left for a tour ofAdventist college campuses in the USA. Her visit is to include meetings withalumni and friends of Newbold. HELEN PEARSON

Dates for your diary

NEWBOLD COLLEGE CHOIRUK CONCERTS

SPRING 2009

Seventh-day Adventist Churches and

Days of Fellowship28 March – Oxford

4 April – Bournemouth18 April – Cambridge

25 April – Devon/Cornwall venue TBA

For further details contact the choir conductor: Dr Sandra Rigby-Barrett

T: 01344-407470E: sandrarb@newbold.ac.uk

The death of Dr Samuele BacchiocchiIt is with great sadness that we report the passing of our precious father and husband. Shortly aftermidnight on Saturday 20 December, Samuele Bacchiocchi breathed his last. He was surrounded byhis three children and wife of forty-seven years, and we read together 2 Timothy 4:6-8: ‘For I amalready being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have foughtthe good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crownof righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only tome, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.’ This quote sums up the life of a man whosacrificed practically all of his time and energy to help others understand the Bible more fully, evenup to the end. He gave his last seminar in England the Sabbath before being taken to the emergencyroom.

We are very grateful that we could all be together at this time and believe that it is fitting that Godchose the Sabbath day, the day that he loved most and spent his life preaching and writing about, tobe the day that he entered into his final earthly rest. We take comfort in the fact that the next time hewill open his eyes he will see his Lord and Saviour, and that we will be reunited with him in Heaven.

The funeral service was held on Sabbath 27 December at the Pioneer Memorial church on the campus of Andrews University.

We would like to thank each and every one of you again for the incredible outpouring of love andprayers that have provided us with supernatural peace and comfort during this difficult time. We areprivileged to be a part of this extraordinary community of faith.

If any of you would like to send a message to the Bacchiocchi family, we encourage you to send itto any of the following addresses of his children: Loretta Bacchiocchi at loretta_bacchiocchi@fhchs.edu, Gianlucca Bacchiocchi at bacchiocchi@gmail.com, or Daniel Bacchiocchi atdbacch@sbcglobal.net. THE BACCHIOCCHI FAMILY

16 Messenger

SunsetSunset times are reproduced with permission from

data supplied by the Science Research Council.

Lond Card Nott Edin BelfFeb 20 5.25 5.37 5.26 5.28 5.42

27 5.38 5.50 5.40 5.43 5.56Mar 6 5.50 6.02 5.53 5.58 6.10

13 6.02 6.14 6.05 6.12 6.24

MESSENGER SUBSCRIPTIONSCost to member supplied in bulk to churches £6.

Single copy subscription by post £13.Overseas airmail £27.50

MessengerVolume 114 • 4 – 20 February 2009

EDITOR: D. N. MARSHALLDESIGN: DAVID BELL

COPY FOR No. 6 – 2 March 2009Copy should be sent to the Editor, MESSENGER, TheStanborough Press Limited, Alma Park, Grantham,

Lincolnshire, NG31 9SL. Tel: (01476) 591700.Fax No: (01476) 577144.

Email: Editordnm@mac.comSend high resolution pictures to:dbell@stanboroughpress.co.ukABC Sales line: (01476) 539900 Mon-Thurs only, 8am- 5.30pm.

www.stanboroughpress.com

The Editor may alter, clarify, précis or expandarticles sent to him if he thinks it necessary.Published fortnightly on Fridays by the BritishUnion Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Printed in Denmark.Visit the BUC website at: www.adventist.org.uk

ISSN 0309-3654

ABC BOOK SALESFebruary22 Stanborough School 10am-2pm

March1 John Loughborough 10.30am-2pm7-8 Dublin/Belfast8 Harper Bell 10.30am-2pm

ABC Shops Watford, BUC. Due to the recent fire, the ABC shop in Watford is closed until March

Advent Centre, Sundays 11am-3pm

and seeks to know God’s will asrevealed in Scripture for oneselfindividually and for the human fami-ly. We often speak about the need tocommunicate with God and see thisas vital in building a relationshipwith him. God has many ways tocommunicate with the human family,but the Bible is one of the mosteffective in that it catalogues God’sinteraction with man and reveals,even though imperfectly but

sufficiently, the plan of salvation.There is a view that Bible reading ismore important than prayer. This isbased on the understanding that inprayer we tell God what is on ourheart, while in Bible reading welearn what is on God’s heart.

Rowan Williams, the currentArchbishop of Canterbury, is knownas a very reflective church leader. Inhis Larkin-Stuart Lecture in Torontoin 2007 he said, ‘One of the thingsthat most clearly and universallyidentifies Christians as Christians isthat they habitually read the Bible or have the Bible read to them. From the most liberal to the mostconservative, from Pentecostalists in Venezuela to Orthodox in Albania,those who call themselvesChristians are engaged in a complexand a varied set of relationshipswith this written text, relationshipswhich shape the patterns of worship, teaching and ethical discourse.’

God never meant you to be TOObusyDwight Moody said to a man whoclaimed that he did not have enoughtime to read the Bible, ‘My friend, ifyou are too busy to read the Bibleevery day you are busier thanAlmighty God ever intended any

<1

Why read the Bible daily?human being should be, and you hadbetter let some things go and taketime to read the Bible.’

God will not necessarily love usmore because we read the Bible, butwithout reading it we cannot under-stand the depth and the magnitudeof his love for us. Without readingthe Bible it is also doubtful that wewill understand the premise onwhich our faith is based. We mayjoin others in attending church andparticipating in various worshipactivities but are not able to defendour faith when required to do so.

Members who do not read the Bibleare easily misled by those who comewith ear-tingling doctrines whichsound plausible but which are notanchored in the Word of God. ‘ThenJesus said to those Jews whobelieved him, “If you abide in myword, you are my disciples indeed.And you shall know the truth, andthe truth shall make you free.” ’(John 8:31, 32.)

Another important reason whythe Bible is worth reading is itspotential to foster spiritual growth.The athletes who are preparing forthe 2012 Olympics in London knowthat if they want to do well and,hopefully, win medals, it is essentialthat they submit to the discipline ofa particular diet. The same principleapplies to Christians. We, too, needto feed on a diet that builds our spir-itual muscles and bones and makesus resilient in the face of tempta-tions and overwhelming odds. Jobset a good example for us when hesaid, ‘I have not departed from thecommands of his lips; I have treas-ured the words of his mouth morethan my daily bread.’ One of thedefences Jesus used against thedevil in the Wilderness of Temptationwas his knowledge of Scripture. Withthat knowledge he was able to parrythe attacks of the evil one.

Our great need as a ChurchOne of our great needs as a Churchis to recapture our emphasis onScripture, not merely in words but inactions. This is also true of mostChristian organisations. There is agrowing view that the trend in recenttimes towards a ‘people-centred,experiential and feelings orientatedspirituality’ has produced a depar-ture from a faith that is based onknowledge and understanding.Consequently, the reading and expo-sition of the Bible has been reducedand at worst dispensed with.

So is the Bible worth reading?The answer is a resounding YES! Itook advantage of the January salesby buying a vacuum cleaner at halfprice. It was a strange looking one,more in the configuration of DrWho’s Tardis than a vacuum cleaner.However, after spending time read-ing the manual that came with it, Iwas able to impress my wife withthe speed and thoroughness withwhich I was able to vacuum the car-pet in the lounge. The Bible is themanual which our heavenly Fatherhas provided for our lives. We ignoreit at our peril. ‘The vigour of ourspiritual life will be in direct propor-tion to the place held by the Bible inour life and thoughts.’ (GeorgeMuller.)

• A man began reading the Bible and, after a time, called out tohis wife, ‘If this Book is true, we are lost!’ But he read on and,some time later, he called out, ‘If this Book is true, we can besaved!’ This illustrates the supreme reason why the Bible isworth reading.

• In prayer we tell God what is on our hearts: he needs to know.In Bible reading we learn what is on God’s heart: it is vital thatwe know.

• If you are too busy to read the Bible daily, you are busier thanGod ever intended humans to be.

• God will not love you more because you read his Word. Butunless you read his Word you will not understand the depthand magnitude of his love for you, nor understand the premiseon which faith is based.

NEWBOLD COLLEGEis seeking to appoint a

COURSE LEADER IN COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA

To commence 1 August 2009(or earlier, by mutual consent)

The College is planning to launch a new degree in Communications & Media in August2009 and is looking for an individual with the following profile to help create and lead theprogramme: • A minimum of a Master’s degree in the Communications/Media area (PhD strongly

preferred)• Good experience in teaching communications modules at the undergraduate level

(ideally with knowledge of UK higher education)• Fluency in English (speaking and writing) • Experience in both theoretical and practical applications of communications or media• An ability to convey ideas and relate to students from diverse backgrounds• Experience in new programme design• Commitment to teaching communications or media within the distinctive ethos and

context of Christianity

The successful applicant would be expected to: • Teach a range of communications and media modules at the undergraduate level with

a strong commitment to quality• Help to create and develop a new degree, performing the duties of a course leader• Display initiative, team spirit and leadership as appropriate and necessary • Manifest strong customer care and tutorial support for students

Applicants will already possess or seek the right to live and work in the United Kingdom. Salary will be according to the denominational scale.

A letter of application along with a current CV and the names and addresses of two referees should be sent to: The Vice Principal, Newbold College, Bracknell, Berks, RG42 4AN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1344 407401, Fax: +44 (0) 1344 407404 email: mpearson@newbold.ac.uk

The deadline for this application is 23 March 2009

Newbold College is a higher education institution owned and operated by the Trans-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church