When Pastor Stephen Wilson was bringing the Galway Daniel seminarto a close, Ivan Klokov was one of the young people who came

forward to request baptism. Visiting 14-year-old Ivan at home, Pastor Stephen found him hand-

copying the New Testament. He is now almost through the gospel of Luke.He is following a good example. His Russian father has already copiedthree quarters of his Russian Bible and has also started through hisEnglish New Testament to improve his English language skills.

Ivan is just one of seventeen who have requested baptism duringStephen’s two simultaneous Daniel seminars in Galway and Ballinasloe,Ireland. JOHN DUROE

From 1 July Pastor PetrasBahadur, currently serving asthe Adventist Muslim Relations

(AMR) director for the South EnglandConference, will be working on 50%time as the associate director for theGeneral Conference AdventistMuslim Relations department.

Pastor Bahadur was born inPakistan and was schooled in theAdventist education system. He

completed a BSc and MBA from the Philippines and began workingfor the Pakistan Union as anaccountant, business lecturer and later as head of the Department of Business.

Pastor Bahadur came to the UKin 1998 and began studying forCommunity Development. He alsoworked as an accountant in Londonfor five years before responding to

the call to ministry in 2003 and pursuing studies at Newbold Collegefor an MA in Theology.

In January 2006 he becameinvolved in the ministry at the SECas director of the Adventist MuslimRelations department. After one year,he was influential in establishing thefirst Asian church in London, whichhe has also been pastoring to thepresent.

Pastor Bahadur is married toMusharaf, and together they havefour children.

While he is involved with theGeneral Conference work, he willcontinue assisting the SEC with the AMR work here, as well asleading the London Asian church, an initiative begun by the AMRdepartment.

GC appointment for Petras Bahadur – SEC AdventistMuslim Relations director by Dr Richard de Lisser, SEC Communication director

Messenger 3

The ‘D’ factor

to conditions such as breast cancer, coloncancer, prostate cancer, heart disease,depression, weight gain and other debilitat-ing illnesses. The study results suggest thatpeople with higher levels of vitamin D have alower risk of disease. However, these reportsstate that the findings do not definitivelyprove that lack of vitamin D causes diseaseor that vitamin D supplements would lowerrisk. The evaluation is that there is a clearassociation or link.

Health implications• A scientist-led group, The Vitamin D Council,

promotes vitamin D deficiency awarenessand suggests that vitamin D treatment maybe useful for treating or preventing condi-tions such as autism, autoimmune disease,cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain,depression, diabetes, flu, hypertension, neuromuscular diseases such as multiplesclerosis and bone diseases like osteoporo-sis. However, there have been no definitive

It has recently been stated that the hottest topicin medicine is not the newest drug, the latestsurgical procedure or medical device: it’s vitamin D.

Research data is revealing that many of usare not getting sufficient levels of vitamin D tomaintain good health. One study, for example, a2007 research of childbearing women in theNorthern US, found insufficient vitamin D levelsin 54% of black women and in 42% of whitewomen.

So why is vitamin D important?Our body requires vitamin D in order to absorbcalcium and promote healthy bone growth.Inadequate vitamin D results in soft bones inchildren (rickets) and fragile, misshapen bonesin adults (osteomalacia). However, researchcontinues to demonstrate the vital part vitaminD plays in other body functions.

Overwhelming evidence points to the following:• Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked

clinical trials to ascertain certainty. • In 2007 a study showed that people taking

normal vitamin D supplements were 7% lesslikely to die than those who didn’t take thedaily supplements.

• A major study in 2008 found that womenwith low vitamin D levels who developedcancer had a much higher chance of dyingfrom their cancer than women with normallevels of vitamin D.

• As dark skin absorbs less sunlight, peoplewith dark skin require more exposure to sunlight to create vitamin D than light-skinned people.

• A key 2010 study suggests the need for vitamin D supplements, particularly in vulnerable groups.

In the next issue we examine more evidence on vitamin D and the debate around supplementation.

Good health!

To Joel living water was a fountain thatwould erupt in the temple when Messiahcame.4

To Zechariah Messiah’s fountain of livingwater that would erupt in Jerusalem wouldwash away sin and guilt.5

That was the basis of the new-birthteaching of Jesus. He told Nicodemus, ‘No-one can enter the kingdom of Godunless he is born of water and the Spirit.Flesh gives birth to flesh [natural birth], butthe Spirit gives birth to spirit [secondbirth].’6

Not long afterwards, Jesus offered ‘thewater of life’ to the five-weddings-and-a-relationship Samaritan woman, adding, ‘The water I give is like a fountain thatgives eternal life.’7 Messiah had come and, as the prophets had foretold, was theSource of Living Water. And that water wasnot the exclusive preserve of Jews. Theydespised women and they despisedSamaritans. Jesus offered a woman whowas a Samaritan – with a past – the waterthat gives eternal life.

Tabernacles was the Jewish festival thatcelebrated the water-from-a-rock miracle.During the eight-day feast all the livingwater messianic prophecies were read anddiscussed. Each day a priest with a goldenpitcher would solemnly walk from the tem-ple down the steep street to the Pool ofSiloam, fill his pitcher with water, processback to the temple and pour his water overthe altar.

‘On the last and most important day ofthe festival’ at which Jesus had, thus far,been conspicuous by his absence, therewas a magnificent fulfilment of prophecythat no one could ignore. On that secondSabbath, known as the Day of the GreatHosannah, seven priests with seven pitch-ers processed for water to Siloam. As theyprocessed back to the temple, rams’ horntrumpets blew and a Levite choir sang theHallel ‘Blessed is he that cometh in theName of the Lord.’ To that surround soundthe priests poured the seven pitchers ofwater around the altar.

As they did so there was a disturbance

at the heart of the vast throng. A majesticfigure strode up the temple steps.

It was Jesus.When he spoke his voice was

impassioned:‘If you are thirsty, come to me and

drink! Have faith in me, and you will havelife-giving water.’8

Messiah had come. At the high point ofthe high day at the temple he did what theprophets had prophesied. He offered thewater of life to all who are thirsty.

Everyone turned. Everyone heard.When John recorded the event, in case

anyone should lose the significance of whatJesus offered, he added, ‘Jesus was talkingabout the Holy Spirit, who would be given toeveryone who had faith in him.’

‘There in the presence of the assembledmultitude [Jesus] set Himself apart to besmitten, that the water of life might flow tothe world.’9

Jesus offered Calvary’s cleansing andnew life to every penitent. And he offeredthe revitalising refreshment of the HolySpirit.

As the body depends on water, the spiritdepends on the Spirit.

If aching heads and dry mouths are theresult of physical dehydration, are theresymptoms of spiritual dehydration in ourmidst? Resentments. Insecurities.Irritability. Negative thinking. Pessimism.Cynicism. Guilt. Negative talking.

If you recognise these or any othersymptoms of spiritual dehydration, it mayhelp you to know that the words addressedby Jesus to the multitude actually mean‘Keep coming to me; and keep drinking.’One tall glass will not do it. Keep drinking.Religion won’t do it. Only Christ can do it.Jesus said, ‘Keep coming to me.’

Are we missing something? If so, why?We know what.

References1Isaiah 55:1, 2. 2Jeremiah 2:13. 3Ezekiel 36:25-27; chapter 47.4Joel 3:18. 5Zechariah 12:10; 13:1; 14:8. 6John 3:5, 6. 7John4:14, CEV. 8John 7:37, 38, CEV. 9DA, 454.

with David Marshall, editor

You missing something?TThese days I don’t preach without a litrebottle of water to hand. That is a habit Ilearned the hard way some years ago.

I had written a book on a controversialtopic and was invited by a friend to speakon that topic to half the ministerial workerforce. ‘You have an hour,’ my friend said.‘Allow forty-five minutes for your presenta-tion and fifteen minutes for discussion.’‘OK,’ I said. And that is what happened.

At the end of the hour I was exhausted,my mouth was dry and I was looking for-ward to coming into contact with the wetstuff. None handy.

Then something awful happened. Whenone half of the worker force ambled out, the other half (who had been listening atanother lecture) filed in. From his seat on araised platform, my friend signalled to methat another hour had now begun and thata repeat performance was called for!Horrified and parched, I hand-signalledback that I needed a drink. But my friendwas talking enthusiastically to someone. He hadn’t seen my signal!

Reflecting that, a few years previously,I’d done a job that required me to talk allday, I thought, ‘I’ll survive.’ My spirit waswilling but my body, like everyone else’s,give or take a brain, a few bones andorgans, is a big balloon of water. We’re all80% fluid and need regular refuelling.

The effects of dehydration are bothembarrassing and unnerving. The obviousone is extreme dryness of the mouth whichmakes it first difficult then impossible tospeak. Other effects include the inability tothink coherently, and a splitting headache.

Thankfully that second half of the ministerial worker force included one youngpastor who could reason back from effect tocause – and eventually went and fetchedme a tall glass of water.

Since that event I’ve had a sneakingsympathy for the Israelites who panicked abit because they could not work out whatthey would use for water in the wilderness.I can imagine their relief when watergushed out of that rock!

No wonder that the significance of waterfor their prophets was so great.

For Isaiah it stood for the salvation onoffer to the ‘whosoever will’.1

For Jeremiah God was the sole Source of the living water that man could not hopeeither to create or, without divine help,retain.2

For Ezekiel God’s living water broughtcleansing and new life.3

Eno Itauma is an inspiration! Baptised in 2006at the Stratford church but now attendingKennington Community Fellowship, she is an

innovative, upcoming new designer. Eno designsfor the unique and modern interior décor marketwith inspiration from ignored elements and math-ematical concepts. Eno has been designing sincethe age of 11 and has just completed a BAHonours degree in printed textiles.

Eno Itauma, after exhibiting at New Designers2009 in Islington, was contacted by the magazineICON who had seen and liked her designs on thepages of New Designers Online and her websitewww.enoitauma.com. Following this she featuredin the magazine’s notice-board for young design-ers and was subsequently contacted by GrandDesigns Live to exhibit her work in the NewDesigners section of the exhibition held in May2010.

Eno’s ‘Botanical Geo’s’ home furnishings collection ranges from sophisticated wallpapers to bespoke and hand-embroidered curtains.

Speaking about the exhibition, Eno states:‘Exhibiting at Grand Designs Live was a blessingbut it was also a test of faith as many peoplewanted me to be there on the two Sabbaths of the

Adventist designer exhibits at Grand Designs Liveby Richard de Lisser, SEC Communication director

exhibition, but God has been so good to me, howcould I let him down? I exhibited during the weekand found myself in church on Sabbath to givethanks to God!’

2 Messenger

Messenger 54 Messenger

World’s Most Notorious AtheistChanged His Mind. He said hewanted to try to correct any damagehe may have done with his atheistphilosophy.

He changed his mind becausethe same rational thinking which ledhim to atheism made him concludethere must be a God. If it is a markof integrity to admit you were wrong,and to explain why, then ProfessorFlew is a fine example. He came to recognise that the incredible complexity of life, especially thestructure of DNA, demandedIntelligence in its creation; the logicis compelling. Also it is provable thatonly life begets life. Life does notcome from non-living matter.

Sadly, from a Christian perspec-tive Professor Flew’s rethink did notlead him to Christian faith. The godhe came to accept was a humanconstruct. He did not come to knowand believe in the God of the Bible.

There are some lessons to begained from the experience ofAnthony Flew. Solomon’s observationabout human thinking is salutary.

‘There is a way which seemethright unto a man, but the endthereof are the ways of death.’2

None of us has a monopoly ontruth, especially Christians. Thereare so many different churches, all professing to have the truth, allclaiming the Bible as the source oftheir authority yet strongly disagree-ing with one another. As a non-Christian friend of mine chided merecently, ‘Pat, you can’t always beright.’ His observation raises thequestions, ‘How do we arrive attruth?’ and ‘Can we know we havethe truth?’

The House of HumilityPerhaps the House of Humility is theplace to begin looking for answers tothese questions. Obviously, reasonand intelligence are important; how-ever, the truth which Jesus broughtinto the world is what Christians callrevealed truth. That is, truth beyondthe ability of man to discover, butwhich God has made known. Howthe world was created, theIncarnation, Jesus is God in humanflesh. The resurrection from thedead, the truth of the new earth,

all of these can be known only byrevelation. This kind of truth andknowledge we come to know byfaith. Indeed all knowledge beginswith faith. We do not begin ourthinking with conclusions; we startwith faith in ideas and theorieswhich we then set out to prove ordisprove.

Jesus declared that if we want toprove his words true then we haveto make an act of faith.

‘If anyone chooses to do God’swill, he will find out whether myteaching comes from God orwhether I speak on my own.’3

The book of Hebrews perceptivelynotes the same truth in differentwords:

‘By faith we understand that theuniverse was formed at God’scommand, so that what is seenwas not made out of what wasvisible.’4

Faith exercised in God’s Wordfinds it to be true. We test what webelieve by measuring it by what theBible says, then we make an act offaith and order our lives by what webelieve. All true Christians functionalong these lines and make choicesand commitments out of their under-standing. It is always sensible to beopen to correction. A blind faithleads nowhere.

Perhaps as Seventh-dayAdventists we need to enquire if weare making the right choices anddistinctions in life. Is what webelieve individually authenticated inGod’s Word? Do we distinguishbetween what is important and whatis trivial? Between time spentwatching TV, fiddling with the com-puter and our spiritual devotions andresponsibilities? Is it possible thatlike Professor Flew we may haveillumination but at the wrong end ofour lives?

There are obvious truths whichcan easily escape us, such as theprophet Micah’s declaration:

‘He has showed you, O man,what is good, And what does theLord require of you?To act justly and to love mercyand to walk humbly with yourGod.’5

The knowledge of Christian truthis essential. The way to discover it may direct us to a path we find difficult to follow. Giving priority to

Keziah and Gerry baptisedThere was great rejoicing at Southall church on 14 November when the

second baptism of our ‘God has Big Plans 4U’ youth campaign tookplace. Family, friends, and members packed the church to witness thebaptism of Keziah Noel and Gerard Fleary. Southall elder Tiroy Josephpreached a rousing sermon on Matthew chapter three, where Jesus camefrom Galilee to John at the Jordan River to be baptised by him. ‘Heavenwas pleased with what Jesus did! And every time someone gives their lifeto God Heaven celebrates, along with families, the church family andfriends; but, most of all, Jesus is happy and rejoicing to see you walk inhis footsteps.’

The baptism of Keziah was a joy for her family as she had been want-ing to be baptised for a while. Her mother and aunt read her favourite text,Psalm 23, her brother sang ‘Lord, I’m available to you’, and her grand-mother escorted her to and from the pool. Her family was very proud andhonoured as she took her stand for the Lord. As a student of Little EdenSchool, she was supported by her fellow pupils, teachers and headteacher of the school. Pastor Emmanuel Osei (SEC Ministerial director),who has known Keziah from her childhood, was there to support.

Gerry Fleary, before being led to the pool by his father (church elderDavid Fleary), shared a touching and emotional embrace with him, afterwhich his father read from Isaiah 12, and expressed his personal thanksto God for this moment in time which he had waited for, and the pride ofseeing his son baptised.COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

When it comes toIslamophobia andChristianophobia, it is

possible to take the view that sincethe 11 September attack in the USAIslam has received and continues to receive bad press. The counter-attack on this seems to beChristianophobia: some Muslims aresaying, Do not focus on us, take agood look at yourself.

Ultimately, when one is looking at

religious persuasions one has totake a balanced view, otherwise thearguments and counterargumentslead nowhere and sometimes end upadvertising our own ignorance ofeach other’s culture and religion.Our popular press and TV mediasometimes make matters worse.

The distinguished African histori-an and political scientist ProfessorAli A. Mazrui sums up what in myopinion is a very helpful and usefulview of Islam: ‘The cultural distancebetween the West and Islam is nar-rower than Westerners think. Muslimsocieties are more humane thanportrayed in the West, while Westernsocieties often fail to live up to theirliberal mythology. Islam has protect-ed other religions and avoided fas-cism, racism, and genocide. Citizensof Muslim countries may be morevulnerable to their governments andpolitical violence, but their streetsare safer and their families morestable. We could all benefit fromIslamic values.’ (Islamic andWestern Values – Sep/Oct 1997,FOREIGN AFFAIRS, published by theCouncil of Foreign Relations.)

Reading a summary of ProfessorMazrui’s BBC lecture (in the WorldLectures series): Pretender toUniversalism: Western Culture inthe Globalising Age, delivered in2000, we find that he also recognis-

es that our ‘Western culture isundermined by violence and erosionof the family . . . but Western cultureis also liberal’ and its liberalism can‘absorb other cultural values, suchas the traditional sobriety of Islam’.‘Islam itself needs to expand andenrich itself’ and ‘some Islamic cultures have become dominated bynarrow, legalistic interpretations. Butin much of the Islamic world, includ-ing parts of the Arab world, Islam is

tolerant and varied – IslamicPakistan, for example, has had awoman leader, something that in themain western powers only Britainhas achieved.’

In October 2009 a CambridgeUniversity research project, in association with the Universities ofExeter and Westminster, produced areport entitled ‘Contextualising Islamin Britain: Exploratory Perspectives’which noted that the ‘British Muslim

community has grown from sometwenty thousand in 1950 to around 2 million at present, or about 3% ofthe population. Muslims are thelargest religious minority in Britain,accounting for just over half of thecountry’s non-Christian religiouspopulation. Great ethnic and theo-logical diversity can be found inBritish Muslim communities. In fact,there are communities within com-munities, each containing a multi-tude of different talents and needs.Within these communities, there is a

mixture of success stories alongsideinstances of relative deprivation.Whilst the vast majority of Muslimslive peacefully with their neighbours,there is a very small group of BritishMuslims who have been engaged inacts of terrorism. While radicalisa-tion as a whole is still not wellunderstood, it is argued that violentextremism is at root a social andpolitical phenomenon, rather than anintrinsically religious one.

‘The report presents the group’sconclusions and aims to act as thebasis for a wider discussion withother Muslim leaders and communi-ties around the UK. In time, it ishoped that this will lead to thedevelopment of a virtual “House ofWisdom”, providing space for dis-cussion among both Muslims andnon-Muslims on how Islam shouldfunction in modern Britain and contribute to wider society.’

We all need each other, and per-haps sometimes a little knowledge isa dangerous thing. Islamophobia isfor the ignorant and thankfully it ispractised by the very few. Hopefullythe newspapers will be a little morecareful in their portrayal of Islam.

As far as the differences betweenChristianity and Islam go, the main

ones are as follows: Muslims believethat Jesus was a prophet and he didnot die on the cross. They suggestthat a disciple died in his place.They assert that Jesus went straightto Heaven and that there was noresurrection. Muslims do not believein the Trinity, rather, they believe inone substance, one person. They donot believe Jesus was the Son ofGod.

Clearly there are significant differences between Christianity and Islam.

Recently I preached a sermonwith the title ‘The horizontalsyndrome’. The point I wanted

to make was the danger of notknowing the difference betweenwhat is important and what is trivial.It was a disappointment to be askedafter the sermon what was the pointof the title.

It is unfortunate but some peopledo not appear to distinguish easilythe difference between a peanut anda football; all things are horizontal,everything the same, no verticals.

We see this in radio or TV pro-grammes which detail the awful car-nage of a tsunami, earthquake or aterrorist crime. It is followed by aslapstick comedy or a programme onsome trivial matter. The incongruitydoes not appear to strike the pro-gramme arranger or the viewer, whokeeps on watching the slapstick. Theserious item disturbing him/her nota whit, they perceive no difference.

Most of us have and perhaps dosuffer from the horizontal syndrome.The recent death of the philosopherAnthony Flew and his obituary inseveral newspapers suggests, fromhis self-confession, he had a seriousproblem with making one importantdistinction.

Professor Flew was a philosopherof stature, and a non-believer in theexistence of God. For the major partof his life he wrote, taught and pub-lished the ‘gospel’ of atheism. Hewas a rational thinker and reasonedthere was no place in rational think-ing for a transcendent God. He wasatheism’s renowned champion. One of his oft-quoted statementsasserted:

‘We reject all transcendentsupernatural systems, notbecause we’ve examined or couldhave examined each in turn, butbecause it does not seem to usthat there is any good evidencein reason to postulate anythingbehind or beyond this naturaluniverse.’1

To the amazement and astonish-ment of his fellow philosophers, atthe age of 81 he confounded themby changing his viewpoint anddeclaring there is a God. He wrote abook about his changed thinkingcalled There is a God: How the

Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi PC, is the firstMuslim woman to serve in the cabinet. She serves as Chairman of the Conservative Party andMinister without Portfolio. She is a good example of a Muslim who has been integrated into Britishsociety.

Islamophobia and Christianophobia – a case of too little knowledge?

with Patrick McKerrow*

*Patrick McKerrow did postgraduate studies in computing at the London School of Economics. He has worked at British Aerospace (now BAESystems), Dalgety Plc and local government.

**Pastor Boyle was raised in Dublin, educated at Newbold and Andrews and was a successful pastor and evangelist in Ireland and England. Since his retirement at Stanborough Park he has continued to conduct evangelistic campaigns in the British Isles, the African continent and North America.

Timesonline, 30 January 2009. ‘The Muslim population [has] multiplied ten times faster thanthe rest of society.’ The same source observed thatthe Muslim population grew by more than 500,000in the years 2004-2008.

The horizontal syndromewith Patrick Boyle**

humility and faith, before reason andintelligence, does not come easily tothe human spirit. The distinction isimportant.

References:1Daily Telegraph, Times 14.4.2010. 2Proverbs14:12. 3John 7:17, NIV. 4Hebrews 11:3, NIV,emphasis supplied. 5Micah 6:8.

Messenger 76 Messenger

What sort of church did Jesusdream of? Would our localchurch survive if we lost the

building? Is church becoming anindoor spectator sport? Is churchcharacterised by consumerism, for example, if you don’t like thepreaching you switch church? Havewe stopped asking what it means forevery member to be a minister?

These were some of the uncom-fortable questions that were askedat the Simple Church weekend on23-25 April. Held at the De VereConference Centre in Berkshire, 150people attended from over fiftychurches across the SEC and fourfrom the Scottish Mission, includingtheir president, Pastor B. Holford. Itwas organised by Pastor Aris andMrs Sophia Vontzalidis of the ChurchGrowth department of the SEC, andon Friday evening the SEC president,Pastor Sam Davis, gave an inspiredand challenging keynote address.

There were two parts to theweekend. The first focused onGrowth Groups, which are mission-oriented small groups that are linkedto a church, and the second partwas an introduction to the SimpleChurch, which is a lay-led Simple/House Church focusing on reachingsecular people.

Much of the teaching at theweekend was carried out by DrMilton Adams and a lay member,Darren Yates, both from the FloridaConference, who highlighted the factthat God ordains the ordinary andconstantly seeks to break us freefrom whatever holds us back to leadus in missionary work. ‘I’m on fire,’

and ‘I can’t wait to start,’ were someof the comments from the weekendthat had at its core the simple wordsof Jesus to ‘Go’ and make disciplesof all nations.

So what is ‘Simple Church’? Well,Simple Church, we learned, is not,as the name could suggest, simplis-tic or easy. Nor is it just a smallerversion of conventional churches.Rather, Simple Church is a wholenew way of being church, a way of living that is focused on lovingrelationships, outreach, lifestyle andfundamentally being connected toGod, each other and everyone else.Simple Churches meet in the home,eat together, study together, praytogether, worship together, servetogether and they ensure that every-one is involved – like members of achoir, so that no one goes to theirgrave without having sung theirsong. They require commitment, arelay-led and focused on front-linemissionary work. Their membersbelieve that there is no longer anexcuse just to sit in seminars tolearn about what they should be doing. It’s time to get active as there is an urgent mission to be accomplished before Jesusreturns.

It was very moving to see howthe Spirit of God worked on thehearts of those attending. WhenPastor A. Vontzalidis made anappeal for those who wanted to startor be a part of Growth Groups orSimple Churches to come forward,almost 100 lay members responded,and the Conference closed with amoving prayer session offered for

God’s enabling and leading so that we would all be used to extendhis Kingdom across the SEC andbeyond.

Dr Adams stated that, in the US,60% of Americans under the age of40 have not walked into a churchbuilding. UK figures are likely to bemuch worse. With a population of over 60 million but poor church attendance across many

denominations, perhaps SimpleChurch is a way forward?

Attendees were helpfully providedwith resources and did exercises onhow to start Growth Groups which isthe first phase of the Simple Churchtraining. If you would like more information, please get in touch with the Church Growth departmentthrough the SEC websitewww.secadventist.org.uk.

This was the intriguing questionwith which Dr Ganoune Diop,General Conference director for

Adventist Study Centres, sparked offthe discussions on Friday evening atthe 6th Adventist Muslim Relations(AMR) Retreat in Northampton, 9-11April. This event was organised byPastor Petras Bahadur, director ofAdventist Muslim Relations, and MrsSophia Vontzalidis, secretary of AMRat the South England Conference.There were approximately seventydelegates in attendance, with pastors, lay members, young and old and ex-Muslims.

A radical revolutionIn his first presentation Dr Diopobserved that Jesus Christ came toremove the barriers between manand God, such as temples, priestsand rituals. Instead he made it possible to approach God directly.

Dr Diop, an ex-Muslim, whocame in contact with an Adventisttutor while studying flute at a FrenchConservatory, had dreamed of beingGod’s slave, when one day he wasshown that he could be a child ofGod.

Dr Diop explained the name‘Jesus’ from the Hebrew – Yehoshua.Haya, the first part, ‘to be’, ‘I am’,LORD, JHVH; and the second part,

yasha meaning ‘to save’. Why doesGod choose to refer to himself as theFather, to Jesus as the Son, and tous as his children? He desired, fromEden, to have a holy family and gaveus the freedom to choose so that therelationship would be one of love,not duty or fear.

The essence of IslamHe mentioned that the main teachingof Islam is that humans need towalk on a Straight Path, and everyactivity a Muslim engages in shouldfacilitate the remembrance (dhikr) ofthat Path. The values of Islam arerighteousness (taqua) – those whoward off evil and have a mind full ofGod; equality of all persons beforeGod and the need to fight injustice;and the oneness of God (tawhid).The implication is that there is nooriginal sin and that humans’ worstproblem is only that of forgetfulness,thereby making atonement and sacrifice uncalled for, and man canwork towards the Right Path throughworks alone.

He compared Christianity andIslam and presented Adventists asbeing the restorationist movement,to focus on Jesus as the High Priest,as the complete antidote to all ourhuman and spiritual ills. ‘There arewonderful things in Islam but there

are obvious needs, and God hasraised Adventists to help them complete their restoration to the truereligion of Abraham. Only in theWord of God, in human flesh, inJesus Christ, do we have the complete character of God and thesolution to the world’s problems.’

Continuing the theme, Dr L.Merklin, GC AMR director, who hasworked in Pakistan and thePhilippines, posed the question,‘How far do we go in allowing com-pletely different forms of church andbelieve it is God’s way of worship?’In such cases Ellen White states,‘Err on the side of mercy and toler-ance.’ (Testimonies, Vol. 4.) We needto realise that God has differentways of reaching different people.

HighlightsThe attendees were blessed to hearDr Merklin’s report on AdventistMuslim Relations’ work going onaround the globe, how people of bothfaiths are working together on healthprogrammes and education. PastorPetras Bahadur spoke of the AMRwork in the SEC and was keen topoint out that nobody is excluded,that his job is to bring all talents andabilities together and to help facili-tate the work for God. He went on to speak of the Mercy in the first

chapter of the Qur’an, the Fatiha –and pointing in the Qur’an to howJesus answers that cry when he,comes as the Mercy of God (Qur’an19 verse 21).

Another highlight was the oppor-tunity of sharing heart-felt testi-monies. An attendee praised God forhow the youth of his church areforming an AMR team to work intheir locality. A teacher also spoke ofthe many Muslims in her classesand her need for prayer to be a wit-ness to them. One lady shared howa severely depressed and stressedMuslim friend asked her to help herwith her children, and the Muslimlady couldn’t believe how caring shewas and called her her ‘true sister’.

Sujoya Paul Bullock led theattendees in a discussion on twothemes from the Qur’an – Weddingand Sacrifice – and how to relatethem to the Bible practically.

Throughout the weekend, theattendees were blessed by relevantand thought-provoking devotionalsby Pastors E. Osei, A. Vontzalidisand T. Messenger and worships ledby Laverne Byng with Beng Tang onthe guitar. The rest of the AMR coreteam, Elizabeth Kavanagh, AdrianLethbridge, John Bishop and EmilShelufumo, facilitated each sessionadmirably, considering the time constraints of such a packed weekend.

If you would like to know more orbe engaged in this ministry, pleasecontact the Adventist MuslimRelations department at the SouthEngland Conference at amr.relations@gmail.com or visit the SEC website at www.secadventist.org

God bless you.

Adventist Muslim Relations Retreat 2010What do you think is the key message we need tocommunicate to our Muslim brothers and sisters?by Sujoya Paul Bullock

Simple Church weekendby Asha Wije

Weston outreachFebruary 13 was a happy day at Weston-super-Mare. Our Sabbath

morning speaker was Pastor Terry Messenger, SEC Sabbath School director. After a delicious fellowship lunch there was an afternoon whereideas were presented and discussed on how to make Sabbath Schoolmore appealing to the public as well as to members who, for various rea-sons, choose not to attend. The evening saw everyone back in the churchhall enjoying a fun social and pancake evening. This event was used as anopportunity for members to invite friends, and also an invitation was givento everyone who comes along to Weston’s successful cookery club, whichis now running well into its second year. Invitations were accepted, andwe were pleased to welcome and spend social time with seventeen visi-tors. Our minister, Pastor Wayne Erasmus – a great cook himself – madethe batter, and helpers were kept busy cooking piles of pancakes. A collec-tion for the ADRA-UK Haiti earthquake disaster appeal had already beentaken up at church, but our children decided that they, too, would like todo something to help. They drew some lovely pictures to give as a thank-you for donations and also during the evening sold cakes, resulting in £62more for the needy people of Haiti.MAUREEN REES

Messenger 98 Messenger

Parallel churchWhat’s Parallel? I hear you ask. Parallel has become almost like second

nature to those who attend Stanborough Park church on a regularbasis. Over a year ago this contemporary church service began in

order to give people who had left the church a place where they could feelcomfortable worshipping in a slightly less formal atmosphere. Every SabbathParallel’s focus is on reclaiming members who have drifted away from ourchurches by giving them a place to come and reconnect with each other andwith God.

On Sabbath 13 February Parallel decided to do something more. They setaside one Sabbath as a special day of Reclamation, handing out 500 invita-tions, in addition to 100 personal invitation letters, praying all the while thatthose who received them would feel God was calling their names and invitingthem back.

We called it Parallel Connect Day, a day when people could come and con-nect with each other, and with God. With Raafat Kamal as guest speaker, achildren’s story, a lively band led by children and, thankfully, enough seats foreveryone, around 155 people worshipped together, some for the very first timewith us. Many stayed for lunch, and as the afternoon passed there weregames, tea and munchies, and plenty of time to catch up. Parallel closed theSabbath with a short message from Paul Tompkins and some singing, andthen we were off to go bowling at Leisure World. About eighty of our friends,old and new, and family came and spent a fantastic couple of hours bowling.It was a wonderful day of fellowshipping and fun, much enjoyed by new facesand old, children and adults.

We ask you to join us in prayer that the Lord will continue to impress uponthe hearts of those who came to Parallel Connect Day, and those who havestarted attending Parallel on a regular basis, the desire to reconnect with theirloving Heavenly Father.

So what’s next for the Parallel service? Why not visit our website:www.parallelservice.com or, better still, come to one of our services! JUDY McKIE

London South EastCommunity churchmember Michael Agyei

has been nominated for anAfrica Gospel Music Award inthe music category ‘Next BigAct’ 2010. Michael Agyei,also known as Lyrical Soldier,is a preacher, singer, rapperand a spoken word poet. Hesees himself as a ‘LyricalEvangelist’. Through his God-given use of words bothin song and through preach-ing, he is able to draw andplant a seed of interest in the minds of people as towho Jesus Christ is.

Active in the church froma young age, he started inPathfinders at the London Ghanachurch. In 2006 he took part in the‘Hit London’ campaign organised bythe London Youth Federation. Thefour-month campaign gave thirteenyoung preachers the opportunity to preach the same message simultaneously across London. The experience was repeated in2007. Michael was again a part of it.

In 2008, Michael was given theopportunity to study abroad in theUnited States where God continuedto use him to draw many people to Jesus through the weekly Biblestudies he held in his studio apartment.

Upon his return to the UnitedKingdom and after a spirit-filledCamp Meeting, Michael and hisclose friends made a startling discovery. They realised that afterCamp Meeting the spiritual high theywere on tended to disappear, mean-ing they often reverted to their oldways and lost contact with eachother. After brainstorming ideas on how to deal with this problem,co-founders Michael and Nana‘Shadrach’ Kay decided to start up aBible study called JAM (Jesus andMinistries). From a small group in2008, this weekly study has growninto a full-blown ministry, encourag-ing and empowering youth to know that God can use them

Participants at the SEC Area 1Youth weekend were surprisedto find a local legend coming to

life in the form of a giant in a visualre-enactment on the cliffs aboveChapel Porth beach on Sunday 2May. Local villagers from St Agnes,just up the road from the Adventist-owned campsite in Cornwall, re-enact each year the legend that tellsthe story of the young St Agnes pro-tecting the village against the evil

giant, Bolster. It was an entertainingspectacle for the large crowds thatgathered on the cliffs in the gorseand the heather, but the legend illus-trates the age-old story of good andinnocence overcoming evil.

That is a theme that had someresonance for the Devon and Cornishyouth, joined by others fromSomerset and Newbold church, whohad gathered for a weekend of wor-ship, fellowship and fun. ‘This kind

of weekend is really important,’states Area 1 Youth sponsor, StevenHulbert. ‘The youth in the WestCountry can feel isolated. Bringingthem together, along with othersfrom “up-country”, helps themdevelop genuine friendships withinthe church family.’ He was alsodelighted that a number of youthattending the St Austell YouthOutreach Project also attended,making friends, joining in with theworships and generally finding thatChristians are good people to bewith.

Worship took three forms. StevenHulbert led three worships basedaround sports label themes –Reebok: ‘I am what I am’; Nike: ‘Justdo it’; and Adidas: ‘Impossible isnothing’. His aim was to use con-temporary illustrations to show howbiblical characters found purpose intheir lives.

This fitted in well with theSabbath and Sunday morningthemes, when Steven’s father, BUCCommunication director, VictorHulbert, used his photographic andstorytelling skills to illustrate visuallyfrom his personal experience howthe Bible makes a difference in hislife.

The third worship style was high-lighted on Saturday night andSunday morning with the vibranttestimony by guest artists fromLondon, Lyrical Soldier, Triple O, andMighty. Their combination of hip hop,grime and gospel allowed them toshare a genuine faith and testimonyin a contemporary setting that theyouth could really identify with.

A stunning Sunday night bonfire,games of basketball and table foot-ball, as well as ‘water-sports’ on thefield, along with stunning quantitiesof amazing food provided bySteven’s mother, Luisa, made for aweekend that turned strangers intofriends – and even family.

A selection of photos from theweekend are available in the BUCpicture gallery,www.adventist.org.uk.

Giant Bolster weekend on Chapel PorthWords and pictures: Victor Hulbert, Communication director, BUC

Lyrical Soldier nominated for Africa Gospel MusicAward

as young people to do his work.The Africa Gospel Music Awards

Celebration 2010 takes place on 10July at the Zanzibar Banqueting Suitein Sydenham, London. Awards willbe handed out in fifteen categoriesand performances on the night willbe from gospel artists both in the UKand Africa.

Voting has already begun on thewebsite at www.africagospelawards.com. If you have been touched byMichael’s ministry you may wish tovote for Lyrical Soldier in the category, No. 9 ‘Next Big Act’.

Votes must be in by 20 June.RICHARD DE LISSER

Welsh Mission TriennialSessionNotice is hereby given that theTriennial Session of the WelshMission of Seventh-dayAdventists will be held on Sunday 21 November 2010 in the Cardiff Seventh-dayAdventist church. Registration will take place in the church from 8.30 to 9.30am, and delegates must register before participating in the proceedings of the Session.J. SURRIDGE (president) and V. PILMOOR(secretary/treasurer)

Messenger 11

Children and adults belonging to the Hackneychurch received special awards at thePathfinders’ end-of-year banquet. Some of

the awards included: Best-Behaved Pathfinder,Excellence in Outreach, Most-Improved Pathfinder,Parent(s) of the Year, Grandparents of the Year andPathfinder(s) of the Year.

All attendees came in their best suits or dress-es and enjoyed a three-course meal while listen-ing to music and telling jokes. The hall was deco-rated with balloons and photos of some of theactivities in which Pathfinders had been involvedduring the year, including a march from the church

to the local London Fields Park in Hackney.Special thanks must go to the Pathfinders

facilitator, Andrea Simpson, and her team whoorganised many outreach and teambuilding tripswhich culminated in the end-of-year banquet.

With Hackney celebrating its 30th year in 2010more banquets are to follow after a specialinvestiture service taking place on Sabbath 19June at All Saints Church on Haggerston Road,where Pathfinders will be assessed and rewardedfor the work they have been doing in their curricu-lum throughout the year thus far. The Pathfindersalso plan to do a march to Dalston with full drum

corps in procession, before capping off theevening with a concert.COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

New group in old Welshtown – ‘Newtown’Why Newtown should be called ‘Newtown’ when itcame into being in 1321 is a mystery. Set on thehigh end of the 200-mile-long River Severn, in the heart of rural Wales, prosperity came to thetown though the growth of the textile and flannelindustries. The current population of 13,000makes it the largest town in Powys, just a littleover 20 miles from the English border.

In 2009, three Adventist families moved intothe Newtown area. Already resident in the areawere the retired ministerial couple, Roger andMarilyn Neal. Meeting together weekly for prayermeetings, the four families felt impressed aboutNewtown being their mission. Since the beginningof January this year, Sabbath worship serviceshave been held at a community centre on a fortnightly basis.

With the intention of reaching the communitythrough health, the CHIP programme was adopted.Under the leadership of Kizuwanda Lawrence, thefamilies recently completed the MicroCHIP stage of the programme. It is hoped that a full CHIP programme will be run for the community at some point.

Commenting on this new church plant, PastorJohn Surridge, president of the Welsh Mission,

10 Messenger

said, ‘It’s an early and small startfor the Adventist community in theheart of Wales, and we look forwardto how the Lord will use these families.’ He further stated, ‘This is marvellous for the people ofNewtown, and a blessing for theSeventh-day Adventist Church inWales. It really is progress that wenow have a group right in the heartof Wales.’

The Newtown group meets every

other Sabbath at the following loca-tion: Treowen Community Centre,Heol Treowen, Newtown, SY16 1NW.

Sabbath School starts at10.30am and the worship service at11.45am, followed by a fellowshiplunch. When in mid-Wales, you aremost welcome to worship with us.Please call Pastor Roger Neal on01686 420284 for details of ourschedule.PASTOR ROGER NEAL

With good weather for a bikeride, unusual for a BankHoliday, nineteen people

aged from 16 to 62 cycled the 33-mile route from Halifax to Bury onSunday 2 May. The riders set offfrom Salterhebble Hill in Halifax, following the path at the side ofRochdale Canal. Although six peoplecycled back by the canal route, thirteen cyclists ended their journey at Bury Fishpool AdventistCommunity church on Parkhills Roadin Bury.

The event had been organised by Adventist church member, RioAgnello, to raise funds for theAdventist Development and ReliefAgency (ADRA) in Haiti.

Most of the cyclists were notmembers of the Adventist Church,but they still wanted to do their bit tohelp the displaced and sufferingpeople of Carrefour region of Haitifollowing the catastrophic magnitude7.0 earthquake and aftershocks thathit the region.

Another cyclist, Tracey, who is

not a member of the church, said ofthe event, ‘Initially I thought a cyclealong the canal was going to be easy– flat, straight paths – how hardcould it be? In reality, it was quite atesting but enjoyable bike ride. Bythe end of the ride we all looked likeseasoned cyclists, head to toe inmuck.’

It was touch and go whether theoldest cyclist, Arlette, would be fitenough for the occasion. A few daysearlier she had damaged her kneesand had been limping badly. But ahomeopathic remedy healed herswollen knees and gave her theenergy she needed for the gruellingride.

Each of the riders wore yellowvests bearing the Adventist Churchand ADRA logos on the front, and‘Haiti Sponsored Canal Bike Ride –Halifax to Bury’ on the back. Whenthe cyclists reached the church,well-wishers welcomed them backwith hot drinks and enthusiastic flagwaving.

At the same time as the intrepid

cyclists were getting spattered bymud at the side of Rochdale Canal, asponsored walk was taking place.Ten people who were not able to takepart in the bike ride walked severalcircuits around a park in Bury (atleast one person ran the course,because he arrived late) to swell thefunds raised on the day.

When everyone – cyclists andwalkers – had gathered, a shortservice was held for the partici-

pants. Bolton Adventist church choir,Bolton Melodies, prayed and sangtwo songs following a warm wel-come by local pastor Jeff Couzins.The audience, around seventy in all,then watched a video showing thework of ADRA.

After the event Rio said that thechurch service was excellent and hewas overjoyed with the day as awhole. At time of writing the fundsraised through sponsorship to helpthe ADRA work in Haiti is over£1,200 with some money still tocome in.JEFF COUZINS

Sponsored bike ride and walk for Haiti

Pathfinders: 30th year at Hackney

Three stands in different areas of the largeexhibition halls represented varying aspectsof Adventist work and mission during the four

days of the Christian Resources Exhibition,Sandown Park, 11-14 May. The displays gave theChristian public a better knowledge of Adventistresources and books, as well as our involvementin preventative health initiatives and disabilityawareness.

The main Adventist stand was in a prime location, immediately inside the doors of the mainexhibition hall. Two large TV monitors displayedAdventist materials or websites, while staff presented a holistic picture of faith with materialsand staff from the Adventist Discovery Centre,Health, Publishing and Personal Ministries departments. ADC principal, Pastor Des Rafferty,declared how thrilled he was to be there with somany thousands of people passing by, stating,‘What an opportunity in a prime location to be ableto share the resources that we have available.’BUC Health Ministries director, Sharon Platt-McDonald, was sharing her range of books onhealthy bodies, healthy minds and healthy relationships.

While the stand was undoubtedly in a good location, it does not mean that everyone welcomed it there. ‘My first impression was somewhat daunting when even my warmest

smiles were met with expressions of distrust ordisapproval,’ stated ADC staff member, ThelmaHodges. This is perhaps unsurprising when bookswritten against Adventist beliefs can be found inother parts of the hall. But she recalled a conver-sation with a casually attired Baptist pastor andhis friend enquiring as to how our beliefs differfrom other Christians. Along with Julian, a youngtheology student from Newbold College, she hadthe opportunity to share with these two men manyof our beliefs.

That may be the most positive purpose of having an Adventist presence at such an event.The very fact of having a stand there allows otherChristians to question and discover more aboutthe Adventist faith – and for many to discover thatwe have positive things to offer, especially in thearea of health.

Autumn House Publishing, a subsidiary of theStanborough Press, did a brisk trade with theirmany publications aimed at the Christian book-shop market. John and Delivon Francis managedthe stand. Children’s materials seemed particular-ly popular. ‘They love the books we’ve got,’enthused John. ‘The Family Bible Flip Quiz, we’vebeen selling out of those, so it’s going very, verywell. It’s much better than last year. We’ve donedouble the sales.’ Due to a drop out by anothermajor publisher, Autumn House were able to move

their stand into a prime location, attracting majortraffic in the entrance to the Pavilion.

The third stand, ASNA, the Adventist SpecialNeeds Association, was more tucked away – find-ing itself in a quiet corner of the ‘Churches for all’area where various disabled charities asked thequestion, ‘Is your church complete?’ Sophia foundthe week exciting: ‘Seeing people praying together,people coming up and asking for prayers and taking part in prayer sessions at the start andclose of the day was the most inspiring aspect of the week.’

Sophia Nicholls was delighted with the morethan sixty contacts she was able to establish overthe four days.

Adventists were also represented elsewhere inthe exhibition area. On the ground floor, theChisholm family ran a small stand raising fundsand awareness for their mission project in Kenya,while up on the top floor, the building and archi-tectural firm, Cosmur, used both the StanboroughPark church refurbishment and the British UnionConference rebuild as examples of their expertise.They are hoping to generate more business amongthe Christian community.

A BUC News Extra video report of this event isavailable at http://www.adventistmedia.org.uk/downloads/BUCnews/cre2010report.wmv.

Major Adventist presence at Christian Resources Exhibition by Victor Hulbert

March 27 found the male members ofSouthend church meeting at both an unac-customed time and an unusual place: the

town centre at six o’clock in the morning. Thatday saw a landmark in the history of Southendchurch, namely, the first ever street ministry, com-plete with public singing, prayer, tract distributionand a sermon from Pastor Terry Messenger, whohad kindly agreed to support the event.

But before the centrepieces of the day could besupplied, the hard work had to be completed, andthis responsibility fell to the hardy male members,who ventured into the High Street at an hour wheneven the most hardened shoppers were nowherein sight and began to put up the gazebo and erectthe PA system.

If all this was not enough, the day’s organis-ers, headed by Personal Ministries leader OwenBarclay, were determined to combine the spiritualmessage with some practical fundraising forADRA. Accordingly, many members, both youngand old, male and female, donned ADRA jacketsand badges and started to mingle with the localpublic, gaining donations and helping those whowished to further their interest in Jesus orAdventism.

However, the heaviest buckets tended tobelong to the junior members whose smiling faceswere seemingly an effective method of partingpeople from their money! Many tracts were takenaway by interested parties, questions wereanswered, spiritual and emotional support wasprovided, and ADRA buckets began to fill up.

And yet, while for so many this was unchartedterritory, for one church member it was a veryfamiliar endeavour. Doris Brown, the church’s oldest active member, had been handing outtracts in Southend High Street every Thursday formany years prior to this day and had thereforebecome a well-known sight in the town centre,along with other senior members.

Born in 1915, Doris came into the Seventh-dayAdventist Church on 21 December 1946, beingbrought to the Lord by her rent collector no less(she lived in the same house for over sixty years)and being baptised by Pastor L. Armstrong. Fromthat point onwards she was an unfaltering anddedicated servant of Jesus Christ until the day shewas taken into his rest on 26 April this year, aged

95. Her dedication was clearly demonstrated bythe fact that she was in the High Street handingout tracts on Thursday 22 April and died on 26April. Every Sabbath would find her taking anactive role in Sabbath School (even well into hernineties she always had valuable biblical insightsto share), as well as attending divine service andthe afternoon programmes, while on Wednesdayevenings she faithfully attended prayer meetings.Along with others, she was one of the foundingmembers of the ‘Bread of Life’ project for feedingthe homeless in the local community, a pro-gramme that is still in operation. She also was acolporteur for many years, selling Adventist booksand magazines throughout the local area. A bikewas her mode of transport and remained so,whatever the weather might throw at her or whatever time of the year (or day) it was. She was also a highly successful collector during the annual ingathering campaigns and this yearmanaged to garner £220 for ADRA.

As with all true Christians, Doris’s most vividwitnessing for Jesus was not through what she didbut, rather, through what she was. Much time canbe spent studying the fruits of the Spirit, but anylength of encounter with Doris was a much moredirect way of grasping what these mean on a

practical, human level. Perhaps most striking ofall was her perpetual cheerfulness, a quality sheretained throughout, even when old age broughtwith it physical discomfort. She was always readywith a word of encouragement and never failed toappreciate even the smallest acts of kindnessshown towards her. More importantly still, shewas ever mindful of what the Lord had done forher. Beloved bychurch members,she was a particu-lar favourite of thechildren, for whomshe often hadsmall treats.Above all, shedemonstratedwhat it is to live aChrist-centred life,putting Jesus firstin everything.

Messenger 1312 Messenger

God has called us to proclaimhis last warning message. It iswith that challenge that the

Great Yarmouth members embarkedon a mission of great importance.Together with a team of dedicatedchurch members, the pastor of ourGreat Yarmouth church launched outinto deep water. The work has beenhard and long but for even one soulit has been worth it. Although we donot know the final result of our wit-ness, we give God glory and praise.Pastor Michael Walker wishes tothank all those faithful memberswho have supported this effort andgiven their time and energies byengaging in a corporate task of soul winning.

Rita Norton came into contactwith the Seventh-day AdventistChurch at the commencement of the‘Amazing Discoveries in Bible Lands’evangelistic series held at theLecture Theatre in the GorlestonLibrary, Great Yarmouth, during thespring of 2007. She was not achurchgoer and came to the meet-ings purely out of interest in travel.As the meetings progressed to Bibletopics, Rita continued to attend andbegan to find God tugging at herheartstrings. She experienced aninward awakening to spiritual things.Her interest in the Bible grew. Sheenquired about how and where shecould pray. As she began to pray,she began to sense God’s presenceand her life was gradually beingdrawn closer to him. Eventually shelearnt about the Sabbath and howthe counterfeit Sunday had beenintroduced. Now she faced the question: ‘How should I keep theSabbath?’ Finally, when the subjectof the new birth and baptism waspresented, Rita indicated her desireto be baptised.

During the evangelistic series wetransferred to the church functionroom, where, to our delight, all theregular interests came along. Ritaexplained that she would start coming to church on Sabbaths whenshe was able to do so on a regularbasis, because when she started toattend, she wanted to continue. As a church family we kept her in ourprayers. Finally, one Sabbath

morning, Rita turned up at church.She has been coming ever since andhas become involved. A regularattender of Friday evening prayermeetings; joining in the worshipgroup as we take services at homesfor the elderly; even attending theyoung adults’ meetings on a Sabbathafternoon. Rita soon integrated intothe church family. She has beenbefriended by several members inparticular who have invited heralong to their homes. In Novemberlast year, we invited her to comewith us for a spiritual retreat week-end at Overstrand, near Cromer,where we had as our theme: ‘TheCentrality of the Cross’. Rita was so grateful for the invitation andexpressed her deep-felt appreciationfor the weekend retreat and for howmuch it had blessed her.

Recently, the pastor took severalof his members into prison to wit-ness the baptism of a young manwith whom he had been studying.Among the group was Rita whowanted to witness a baptism byimmersion for the first time. Wewere to share a baptismal servicewith those of other faiths. Godworked in a remarkable way to turnaround a difficult situation, becausethe baptism had been scheduled fora weekday afternoon when hardlyany members would have been ableto attend. Then a remarkable thinghappened. It was suggested by thelead chaplain that the event takeplace on the Sunday afternoon,when a team of Adventists fromLondon under the leadership ofPastor Kevin Johns, SEC PrisonMinistries director, would be there,and that we Adventists organise and take the whole service. Rita wasable to witness this intervention ofGod and rejoice with us as thisyoung man was baptised andreceived into the fellowship of ourchurch.

After further Bible studies withPastor Walker, Rita testified to apacked church of her faith in Jesusas her personal Saviour, as she wasbaptised on Sabbath 1 May. Amongthe congregation were some of thepeople who had attended the evan-gelistic series themselves, as well

as other interests. At least two otherpersons indicated their desire toprepare for baptism. Pastor

Emmanuel Osei, Ministerial directorfor the South England Conference,was our guest speaker for the day.

Great Yarmouth: campaignand baptism by Elizabeth Folkard and Michael Walker

Prayer – and fighting?The saying goes, ‘Some things come through much prayer and fasting’,

but I think I agree more with ‘Some things come through tears andfighting’! On Sabbath 13 February, Windsor Street South church had itsfirst ever Teens’ Day. Yes, that’s right, not Youth Day, not Children’s Day;Teens’ Day.

The idea first came about in November 2009 because it was felt thatthe teens in the church are often overlooked. Too old to be classed as chil-dren but technically too young to be ‘youth’, Teens’ Day was aimed atthose aged 13-16.

Though it seemed the idea would be welcomed and embraced, thiswas not the case. The excuses ranged from ‘No one will come,’ We don’tneed to have one,’ to ‘Where are we going to eat?’ It became apparentthat organising this day would be far from easy.

Many tears, fights and sleepless nights later, after arranging and rear-ranging the programme multiple times, with acceptances and rejections,the day came. Pastor Eddie Hypolite, SEC Teens’ director, agreed to comefor the entire day. His words of wisdom and comical anecdotes, as well ashis down-to-earth and understanding attitude, enabled him not only totalk to the teens on a perfect level but connect with older and youngermembers of the congregation, too. He brought the Bible alive with colourfulexplanations on Ezekiel and the dry bones in a way that showed how wemust live intentionally, with a purpose inside to be led by God and to leadothers to God.

Looking back, I have to laugh. After all the worrying, we’ve had not asingle ounce of negative feedback yet. It was a tremendous and spirituallyuplifting day that was greatly enjoyed by everybody. From this day manyideas for outreach have come. Also, many more ideas for programmesgeared towards the teens. And we certainly plan to invite Pastor Eddieagain!

I honestly now believe that many things come from prayer, fasting,tears and fighting! However, if you believe that it’s a God-inspired idea,you’ll do everything it takes, no matter the headache or heartache, you’lldo it for God. JERUSHAH JOSEPH-JEFFREY

Welcome back the Jacksons!Pastor Richard and Mrs Angela Jackson with their daughter Talitha and

son Samuel have been welcomed back to Britain by the Camp HillCommunication team. Exactly two years ago Pastor Jackson was called from a productive pastorate in Wolverhampton to serve as the ExecutiveSecretary of the Turks and Caicos Mission. In the two years spent there, theMission has seen massive growth and will soon receive Conference status.We welcome the Jackson family back to the West Midlands where PastorJackson is ministering at Windsor Street, Newtown and Lozells churches.

Southend street witnessby SSAPMTEAM (Southend Seventh-day Adventist Personal Ministries Team)

Photo

: Duran B

ell

Messenger 1514 Messenger

organised Community Service days at WestBromwich Town Hall and West Bromwichchurch.

Claris was very passionate about witness-ing and always kept a supply of leaflets, smallbooks and end-time DVDs which she distrib-uted at any opportunity. She would makephone calls and write letters to family andfriends, giving them with words of encourage-ment and telling them about the love of theJesus and his soon return.

After many years of prayer and witnessing,it was with great delight that Claris was able tosee her husband Ronnie accept the Lord as hisSaviour.

With all the envelopes, stamps and sell-otape Claris bought to send tapes, DVDs andmagazines to people her local post office wouldnever be threatened with closure, as she keptthem in business! Her enthusiasm in witness-ing was a shining example to all. Despite beinghospitalised twice during the last twelvemonths, she continued her witnessing andmade sure every doctor, nurse and patient onher ward received a tract or DVD.

Claris was a faithful member of the WestBromwich church for over forty years. She hasleft a legacy of witnessing and as a final tributeto her memory over 300 Reasons of the HeartDVDs were distributed at her funeral service.

Jeharna South sang a song in tribute,bringing to a close the celebration of the life ofa wonderful mother, sister and friend; a lifelived in the service of the Lord.JUANITA CRAWFORD

GWENDOLINE VICTORIA SAMUELS(1920-2010) d. 30 March. The funeralservice of Gwendoline Victoria Samuels washeld on 22 April at the Tottenham West GreenRoad church. Gwendoline (Gwen to her friendsand affectionately known as ‘Sister Sam’ by herchurch family) was born on 20 February 1920in the parish of St Mary, Jamaica. She was thefourth child of seven and she was greatly ad-mired for her determination to make a betterlife for herself and her family.

Gwendoline was known for her kind heart,generosity and caring nature. To her friendsand family she was a true inspiration and il-lustrated the truth that valuing the essentialsin life can lead to fulfilment. This was her ap-proach to all aspects of life – from her diet,friends and family to the most important facetof her life, her relationship with God.

She came to the UK in 1957 and vowedthat she would never take another boat trip, sosubsequent trips to Jamaica were made byplane. She frequently told her grandchildrenabout this with some pride. Her taste for ele-

gant fashion began with the fur coat that wasgiven to her by her sister prior to her trip toEngland. She would explain how she wouldnot take this coat off for several weeks becauseEngland was so cold. Subsequently she decidedthat she could no longer tolerate the heat ofJamaica and so would not be returning there tolive. There was the essence of GwendolineSamuels – a woman who adapted to her envi-ronment and was never afraid to air her opin-ions about the situations around her. Thismade her an amazing person both to conversewith and seek advice from.

Gwendoline had two children, Hazel andDavid. Although both her children passed away(in 1989 and 2008 respectively), their memo-ries lived on in her heart. Gwendoline strove toshow her family the importance of valuing andspending time with each other. Along with herbiological family, Gwendoline adopted manyvaluable brothers, sisters, children, nieces andnephews from the church and other walks oflife. She was never short of cards on Mother’sDay!

In 1975 Gwendoline was baptised into theSeventh-day Adventist Church and became adevout member of Tottenham church on WestGreen Road. She especially loved watching thePathfinders and giving sweets to the childrenat church. She is remembered as being a keymissionary in her church, helping withfundraising to establish West Green RoadChurch and endeavouring to establish a con-gregation. This is how she met many of herbest friends. She pursued a career in the caringprofession as a nurse in Hillside ResidentialHome in Hornsey, where she worked until re-tirement. Gwendoline was a hard worker andwould often teach those around her the impor-tance of getting a good job that you love andhaving a work/life balance.

On 13 February Gwendoline was admittedto hospital and remained there for six weeks,during which time, surrounded by loved ones,she celebrated her 90th birthday. Gwendolinepassed away on 30 March at 1pm. Taken from the eulogyANGELA, Communication department

CHRISTINA LOREK (1926-2010) d. 5April. After spending the afternoon with hersister, and chatting with me on the phone inthe morning, my mother suddenly collapsedand died in the Dundee hospital, where shehad spent three difficult months. Her healthhad been failing for a number of years, and thedoctors warned that her heart was very weak,yet she surprised them by improving to the ex-tent that we began to hope that she would re-gain enough health and strength to be

discharged from hospital. Sadly, this was not tobe, and she now rests along with my father, herdearly beloved husband, Paul, awaiting the res-urrection call of her Lord.

The funeral service was beautifullyplanned and conducted by local minister,Pastor Marcel Ghioalda, who spoke to the con-gregation – some of whom had travelled longdistances – of Sister Lorek’s modest and retiringnature, her cheerfulness and optimism even inthe last difficult days of her life. He also spokeof her hospitality and her faithfulness as a dea-coness, who regularly visited the elderly andsick to bring encouragement and help, and of agracious Christian lady, who loved her familyand God’s creation. Aunty Chrissie, as she wascalled by her pastor, was always grateful tothose who visited her in hospital, for the careof the nursing staff, and in her quiet waytouched many lives over nearly eighty-fouryears of life.

In keeping with her nature she did notwant any ‘fuss’ at her funeral. Nevertheless, inaddition to the tribute paid by her minister onbehalf of church members, her sister NoraMyles and the writer also gave testimony to herlife and the love she shared. Mrs Myles spoke ofthe great comfort the arrival of a little sister,named Chrissie, was to her, having lost herolder sister just seven months before. Then oftheir continued closeness over the years, shar-ing each other’s joys and sorrows and, whiletheir temperaments were different, theyblended well together. The writer spoke of aloving, caring mother, who always looked afterthe home to a high standard, ensuring thatgood meals were always ready on time. Sheeven took up part-time employment as a re-ceptionist and switchboard operator to helppay for my education. Throughout the yearsshe was always interested in, and supportive of,what I was doing.

God has given us a wonderful gift when heblessed us with memory, especially when weexperience the loss of a loved one, and then thehope of resurrection and reunion to come.‘Then we which are alive and remain shall becaught up together with them in the clouds, tomeet the Lord in the air: and so shall we everbe with the Lord.’ 1 Thessalonians 4:17, KJV.PASTOR IAN LOREK

The family would like to thank all those whosent cards, telephoned, prayed and all who at-tended the funeral. Thank you also for the£170 donated to ADRA.

LILIAN MARY CRUMPTON (née Wooley)(1918-2010). The West Bromwich church issad to report the loss of one of its oldest mem-bers. Lilian was born on 3 March 1918 at 20

West Bromwich Street, Oldbury. At the age of 5she was invited by a little girl from next doorto attend the Salvation Army in Oldbury. Whenshe came home she would put on a service forher parents. As a result, she led her mother toChrist.

Lilian took ill with pneumonia at a youngage but, in answer to prayer, her life was saved.Having survived pneumonia she believed thatGod had spared her life for a purpose. She leftschool aged 14 and went to work as a maid inservice. It was while later working in a housein Newbury Lane, Oldbury, owned by J. W. D.Pratt’s brickyard, that she met BenjaminCrumpton. They united their lives in marriageon 16 April 1938. They celebrated their dia-mond wedding anniversary in April 1998 andreceived a telegram from the Queen.

Lilian attended some evangelistic meetingsin the Oldbury town hall put on by the SDAchurch. The speaker was Pastor J. P. West, as-sisted by the young intern Don Lowe. Lilianwas later baptised by Pastor John Bayliss inHandsworth. Later on she gave support to someevangelistic meetings being held in the TheatreRoyal, Birmingham, as an usherette. The evan-gelists were Pastor Ken Lacey and Pastor TomBradley.

In the 1960s Pastor George Bell came intothe area and was eager to build a church inWest Bromwich. At the time Lilian was work-ing for a firm of builders called Jackson and, inthe providence of God, these became thebuilders of the West Bromwich church, whichwas completed in 1971. Lilian helped withfundraising for the church building selling jarsof marmalade, buying a chair in the church,and making cash donations.

At the thirtieth anniversary of the openingof the West Bromwich church in 2001, Lilianwas one of the honoured guests at the serviceand was given a plaque in recognition of thework she had done. Lilian also gave support toa church-planting project in Whiteheath dur-ing the ministry of Pastor Roy Morgan. At 80, in1999, she was widowed, but with good supportfrom her family she was able to live in her ownhome for another ten years. She took ill andspent the best part of three months in theSandwell Hospital, entering the Warrens’ Hallnursing home in February 2009.

She passed peacefully to her rest onemonth after her 92nd birthday. The funeralservice was conducted by her son-in-law,Pastor Barry Stokes. A tribute was given by RayAugustine from the West Bromwich church.The interment took place in the Rood Endcemetery. Now Lilian lies at rest, to await thesure and certain call to life eternal when ourLord returns. PASTOR BARRY STOKES

KERNIEF ALBERT LEWIS (1938-2010) d.21 November 2009. Around 500 friends,colleagues and church members from Balham,New Life, Enfield, Wood Green and Willesdengathered with the family to pay their last re-spects and tributes to Kernief Albert Lewis whodied after a five-year battle with prostate can-cer. His determination not to let the illness getto him resulted in his driving to Willesdenchurch, where he had been a deacon for manyyears, until he was too weak. In late 2009, hespent more time in the hospital than at homebut he did not feel lonely as friends and familydaily gathered round his bed to offer him care,support and prayers. His beloved wife Elsanursed him twenty-four hours a day.

The service was conducted by Pastor S.Roberts, assisted by Pastors M. Holness and K.Thomas on 8 March.

It emerged from the tributes that BrotherLewis, who was Jamaican-born and came toEngland in 1961, was a much respected man,admired for his sense of dress acquired throughhis tailoring skills (he started his working lifeas a tailor). While he could work day and nightto get what he wanted he would not cut cor-ners and would not hide away from duty.Above all else he proved to be a man who lovedhis God, spending time reading his Word. Hecould be found in the Willesden churchyardreading his Bible at the driving wheel of hiscar. Brother Lewis was also described as ‘agreat guy and a good cook’. He is rememberedas a model Christian who in good times andbad encouraged people to smile and when ill-ness and pain became his daily companions,his faculties and faith in Christ remained intact.He is also remembered for his love of singing.He used his gift in the church male quartet. Hewas often heard singing, ‘God will take care ofyou’. These words he held on to until the end.

Kernief Albert Lewis is survived by his wifeElsa, sons David and Peter, daughter Joy andfive grandchildren.MICHELLE, Communication department

ROBERT RAYMOND (RAY) HOWARD(1925-2009) d. 16 December. Ray Howardwas born in Cheddar, Somerset, on 14 April1925 and, except for his four years in the RAF,lived his whole life in Cheddar. After attendingthe Grammar School in Wells, Ray went on topass exams to become a pilot but, on failing hismedical with his hearing test, he joined theground crew based in Germany, where helearned his skills in mechanical engineering.Ray spent most of his working life in engineer-ing, apart from seven and a half years as a repfor Granose Foods. It was during the war years– when Vera moved from Bristol to Cheddar –

that Ray met Vera. Four years later they weremarried at the Anglican church in Cheddar andthe family was made complete with the arrivalof their daughter Sarah. In March 2009 Rayand Vera celebrated their 60th wedding an-niversary.

Ray and Vera first came into contact withSeventh-day Adventists at meetings held byPastor R. H. Bainbridge in Weston-super-Mare,and on 7 November 1963 they were baptised byPastor F. Stokes in the first baptism to takeplace at Bristol Lodge Causeway church. In theyears that followed Ray faithfully servedWeston church in various offices, includingchurch elder, also as a lay preacher and layevangelist. It was Vera who found a bungalowwith a plot of land for sale on which the pres-ent church in Weston stands. Ray was verymuch involved with plans for the building ofthe church.

Due to ill health Ray and Vera had beenunable to attend church for some time but theyalways had a strong attachment to the churchat Weston and an interest in the members andevents there.

On 23 December, Pastor Islwyn Rees con-ducted the funeral service at Weston church.Peter Wells, a close family friend since he was ayoung boy, gave the eulogy of the man he al-ways knew as ‘Uncle Ray’. Pastor Rees pointedout that as a Bible teacher in the church, Raywould have known the wonderful promisesbeing shared of the Second Coming of Jesusand the promise of the resurrection to eternallife. This is not the end, said Pastor Rees: alongwith Vera and Sarah we are looking forward toa reunion when ‘There will be no more deathor mourning or crying or pain, for the oldorder of things has passed away.’ The servicewas followed by a committal at WestonCrematorium. Ray now rests, as do all of God’speople down through the ages, until Jesus callshim from his sleep at the last day.

As a church family we extend our love andsympathy to Vera and Sarah as they look for-ward to meeting Ray again on the resurrectionmorning.MAUREEN REES

FRANCISCA ADRIANA PALFREY (1923-2009) d. 28 December. At Cisca Palfrey’sfuneral on 13 January friends and familybraved the severe winter weather to pay tributeto a remarkable and cheerful woman. Thereading chosen was 1 Corinthians 13, versesthat speak about love, and love being the great-est commandment of all. They were chosen be-cause they characterise Cisca and the way inwhich she lived her life. She was forgiving,easy-going, independent and strong, bright and

had a great sense of humour; a wonderful wife,mum, grandma, great-grandma and friend tomany.

Francisca Adriana Palfrey was born on 16March 1923 in Holland, the third youngest oftwelve children. Her light and loving spiritseemed to mask the reality of a tough child-hood: as a young girl she spent a lot of time inhospital with back problems, but in spite ofthis set-back, and perhaps as a response to it,she grew up to be a plucky and strong younglady. Attending a Catholic school run by strictnuns, she had a reputation of being quite acharacter. In school, her older sister wouldsometimes get into trouble and get picked on,but it was Cisca who came to the rescue, fight-ing her battles for her even though she wassmall. She wasn’t scared of anyone or anything,it seemed.

After this, of course, came the War and oc-cupation by the Germans. It was a tough timefor all the family, and even though their foodsupplies were rationed by the Germans, herbrothers always managed to slip into the fieldsfor potatoes. The farmers would turn a blindeye, happy that Dutch potatoes were going toDutch families and not German soldiers. LikeCisca, the whole family was spirited and metthe hardship of the War with resolve and aplucky character.

It was at this time she met her husband-to-be Bernard. Bernard was introduced to afamily full of love who shared their rationswith him, and probably some of those pota-toes, whenever he was on leave and came tosee Cisca. In 1945, they married in Holland.Philip was born there in 1946, and shortly afterthey came to settle in Wales, Jan was born,Susan being born some time later.

Cisca worked hard all her life and was al-ways giving things away, as well as her time toothers. She crocheted and knitted clothes forher children and her grandchildren. She wouldoften spend hours cooking for anyone whowanted.

Despite her hardships, she learnt to over-come her circumstances and showed real char-acter in dealing with life’s ups and downs. Shecouldn’t afford clothes, so learnt how to makethem, even designing her own knitting pat-terns. She taught herself English, and eventhough it was obviously a challenge for her toleave her family and come to the UK, she justseemed to take everything in her stride. She re-mained independent right up to the end of her86 years, riding on buses, keeping her garden(she won gardening awards) and taking uppainting.

Cisca is going to be missed by all of us, butespecially we think of Bernard, her three chil-

dren, Philip, Jan and Sue, as well as her eightgrandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.JEREMY TREMEER

CLARISSA AUGUSTINE JONES (19November 1932-25 February 2010).‘Who was this woman of God whose love forChrist showed in the smile on her beautifulface?’ These words began a tribute sent by MrsRuby Morris (her sister in the US). The thanks-giving service for Clarissa A. Jones, held onTuesday 16 March at West Bromwich church,was conducted by Pastors P. Herbert, R. Morganand M. Msimanga. The church was full to over-flowing with people who had come from nearand far to say farewell to a quiet lady wholoved Jesus and whose passion in life was toshare God’s love.

Clarissa Falconer was born in Jamaica intoa loving Christian home. She was an intelligentand creative child but sadly her school dayswere cut short as she had to help her father incultivating his fields.

Clarissa grew into an attractive youngwoman. She married the late Ronnie RanksJones on 1 March 1960, and shortly after theyleft Jamaica for a life together in England.

There were financial struggles so to helpmake ends meet Claris (as she was known tofamily and friends) would make hats, sewclothes, cushions, curtains and line coats.Having been unable to complete her educationin Jamaica, she attended courses at nightschools and colleges in the West Midlands. Thesubjects she covered were food technology,sugar craft, cake decorating, millinery, paint-ing, flower arranging, sewing, maths, English,computing and piano lessons.

In 1965 work colleague EvadneyNembhard, along with Brothers Allen andWilson, introduced her to the AdventistChurch. With her three young daughters Clarisbegan attending Handsworth church and on 9March 1968 was rebaptised as a Seventh-dayAdventist.

Claris transferred her membership to WestBromwich church and accepted the position ofCommunity Services leader, a post she held forseven years. She organised bring and buy salesat the church, selling her famous fiery gingerbeers, sorrel, homemade cakes, popcorn, pat-ties, flower arrangements, hats, neck ties andcushions to raise funds for the church buildingfund. Claris was also a part-time colporteurand with her children sold literature to raisemoney for underprivileged children. She wasonce commended in MESSENGER, as she and herfamily had sold the most magazines within theNorth England Conference during a particularperiod. Claris also served as a deaconess and

Dr Cyril Edward Roe (1924-2010) d. 7 April

Cyril Roe was born 7 November 1924 in Ripley. His early edu-cation included two years at a Quaker boarding school,Roundhay High School, and Newbold College with diplomas

in Religion and Education. While at Newbold he roomed withGeorge Crutchfield and had not seen him until three or four yearsago when he relocated to the same district.

On 7 June 1950, three days after college graduation, Cyrilmarried Joy Cooper and together they began their life work to-gether that would take them to many places around the world.

Cyril’s first teaching appointment was at StanboroughSecondary School where he taught Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Geography.

In 1953 life took on new meaning for Cyril and Joy when their son Peter David was born. Inthose post-war days they did not own a car but Peter gained his aptitude for various modes of trans-portation by riding between his parents on a tandem bicycle with many excursions, includingcamping in the country with the young people from the Stanborough Park church.

Cyril desired further Adventist education and arrangements were made in 1955 for the familyto go to Pacific Union College where Cyril studied and worked in the College boiler building whichsupplied underground heat to the campus. Cyril also remembered being up on an electric powerpole when a California tremor occurred.

Cyril received his BA degree in 1956 but the highlight of that year was the delight the familyhad when daughter Vernita Joy was born at St Helena Sanitarium.

The following year Cyril received his MA degree in Education and spent the next eight yearsteaching in the Napa Valley and two years in Las Vegas, where he received a mission call to teach

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in the Education department at Spicer Memorial College in India.At Spicer, Cyril started the Geography department at the college and enjoyed interaction with

students from all over India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Pakistan, Thailand, Lebanon and Africa. Cyril andJoy also started the first Pathfinder club at Spicer which was further developed by Dr WilliamJohnsson, previous editor of the Adventist Review. During their stay at Spicer, Peter and Nita re-ceived their education by home study, the elementary school at Salisbury Park, then Vincent HillSchool and Far Eastern Academy in Singapore.

In 1972 the family returned to California where they lived in the Napa Valley so Peter could at-tend PUC and Nita the academy. Cyril attended the University of the Pacific at Stockton to earn hisdoctoral degree.

In 1976 Cyril received a call to teach in the Education department at Southern AdventistUniversity where he enjoyed teaching and especially loved the interaction with hundreds of stu-dents for almost thirty years. One of his students, Sharon Vandevere, is a teacher in the churchschool here and she has brought her students to listen to Dr Roe relate some of his stories and seesome of his ‘toys’.

After retirement in 1992, Cyril continued to teach part time at Southern Adventist University,until the time came in 2004 when Peter and Nita suggested, with some insistency, that living closeto them would be wise as the progression of Parkinson’s Disease made some activities difficult. Fortwo or three years Cyril and Joy spent the summers in their camper in Ohio near their children andthe winters at Pine Lake Retreat in Florida. In 2006 Cyril and Joy moved to Ormond Beach whenPeter and Vanessa were called to Florida Hospital.

Over the past several years Cyril’s Parkinson’s Disease and macular degeneration progressed tothe point where he required total care. Joy was his primary care-giver throughout his time of de-clining health. She faithfully ministered to his every need and together they made a wonderfulteam. Despite his handicaps he was able to enjoy life to the end because of her loving companion-ship and care. During the last six months of his life a hospice provided the support required so thatCyril could remain at home. Until his fall in the last week of his life, Cyril was gaining strength andhad even enjoyed an outing to the ocean with the family. LANELL JACOBS

16 Messenger

MessengerVolume 115 • 12 – 11 June 2010

EDITOR: D. N. MARSHALLDESIGN: DAVID BELL

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We are excited as we are approach-ing our 4th Annual Youth Rally/Marchagainst Crime. For the fourth yearrunning the Adventist Youth Societyof the SEC is taking to the streets toimpact the community for good. Forthe first time our major march/rallywill take place outside of London. Allroads will lead to Bristol on 19 Junefor ‘Bristol Impact’. We will bemarching against crime, and thetheme for the day will be ‘Leading inYour Community’. The morning willbe a day of fellowship in the city,

and then lunch will beprovided for all – yes, all.

We want toencourage as many people as possible to get involved in a day of sharing our faith and impactingpositively those in the Bristol area.Bristol is the second biggest city inthe south, outside of London, and,therefore, should be a major centrefor outreach. Bristol and Area 2 ingeneral have supported the lastthree outreach rallies in London, andso now it’s time for the whole youthmovement to stand side by side withour Area 2 brothers and sisters aswe lead out together.

Two home-grown British speak-ers will address the crowds for theday. At the DOF, ministerial student,Anthony Fuller, will be speaker, andin the afternoon, another ministerialstudent, Andrew Davis, will addressthe community. Bristol and the Area2 youth have led out in the plans forthe day, and I believe that this daywill be one of the best to date. Ahundred and fifty Pathfinders,including some of the best drumcorps from the London churches, willbe leading the procession, so comeand be a part of this Impact Day.Tickets for the DOF can be posted toyou. All you have to do is order themfrom www.secyouth.co.uk.

4th Annual Youth Day/Marchby Colin Stewart, SEC Youth department

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