TED News Bulletin - July 23, 2008 - unOFFICIAL ADVENTIST FORUM

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do.
And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with
– even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department.
Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. Romans 14.1: The Message

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#179181 - 08/02/08 10:00 PM TED News Bulletin - July 23, 2008
magilly46 Registered: 10/29/02 Posts: 183 Loc: BC	TED News Bulletin Trans-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 23 July 2008 In this issue: ------------------------- * Lithuania Receives State Recognition * England: Runway Church Dedicated * Finland: Free Gift Camp Meeting Success ------------------------- CHURCH IN LITHUANIA RECEIVES STATE-RECOGNIZED STATUS.[M. Kucinskas/G. Bukalders/ TED News] Vilnius, Lithuania - On the 15th July the Lithuanian parliament granted the Seventh-day Adventist Church the status of a religious community. Lithuanian law concerning the religious communities divides them into traditional, state-recognized and other registered religious communities. The Adventist Church applied to Lithuanian parliament for state-recognized status in 2003. The Lithuanian parliament considered the request twice, first time postponing the decision. Two months after the first hearing of the request, with a few corrections, it was presented for an additional hearing. This time it was approved by a majority, with three members of the parliament abstaining. "This is an important and significant event for the Seventh-day Adventist church in Lithuania", said Bertold Hibner, President of the Adventist Church in Lithuania. "State recognition for the Seventh-day Adventist church in Lithuania means that its contribution to public life and culture is recognized and appreciated together with other churches that have deep historical roots. It means that Adventist church is recognized as a church that has established its own name and identity in society. On this occasion I would like to thank everyone who has contributed [to] this historical moment. I'd like to thank every church member in Lithuania that witnessed with their Christian life . in order to establish a good name of our church in society. I'd like to thank the leaders of the Trans-European Division, The Baltic Union of Seventh-day Adventists and especially its President Valdis Zilgalvis, whose help and participation tremendously contributed to the process. Our Lord has bestowed a great gift upon us. I hope that the church will see it as a strong commission to serve and proclaim to the community the good news of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Seventh-day Adventist Church started its mission in Lithuania back in the 19th century. The first group of believers was established in 1919 and worked unhindered until the Second World War. During the Soviet occupation, Church activities in Lithuania were very restricted. Since the restoration of independence, the Church was once again registered in 1995 and immediately started preparing documents so that the Seventh-day Adventist church in Lithuania would be granted the state-recognized status of a religious community. The Adventist church in Lithuania unites about 1000 church members. RUNWAY CHURCH DEDICATED.[G. Benjamin/BUC News/TED News] Gatwick, England - Next time you fly into Gatwick airport take a look out of the left-hand window as your plane lands. The gothic style church you will see there is the latest place of worship for Seventh-day Adventists in the south of England. Affectionately called the "church beside the runway", the St Michael and All Angels church has been leased to the Horley Adventist Church for a nominal rent of £500 ($250) for the next ten years. The Horley group began meeting in 2001, and was organised as a church on 5 January 2008. Throughout their short existence, the first elder Paul Hersey made it one of his priorities to find a permanent place of worship. While searching on the internet, Paul came across a church close to Gatwick airport that had been empty for four years. He contacted the Church of England who were responsible for the church, and their response was very positive. Following discussions and much prayer the Church of England agreed that the Horley Seventh-day Adventist Church could worship in the building. Even more remarkable was their offer that the church would be leased to the Seventh-day Adventists for ten years for a tiny rent of £500. The church began to worship at their new home in May while the legal details of the lease were being finalised and the signings took place in early June. The church was subsequently transferred to the dioceses redundant churches list and the official lease was sent to Paul Hersey. As a result of their move the church decided to add Gatwick to their name. St Michael and All Angels is situated parallel to the end of the runway at Gatwick airport. It was designed and commissioned by the architect William Burgess in 1860. It is a Grade 2 listed building and boasts some of the best stained glass windows and religious art in the country. It has two organs, one an original pipe organ, which is still in working order. Members are hoping that this may attract an organist as currently this beautiful instrument is unused. Planning permission has already been granted to build an extension to accommodate toilets (the church does not have its own) a kitchen and church hall. A concert has already been held to start acquiring the required funds. The church's beautiful architecture means many people drop in and ask to be shown round the building. Members are hoping that this can give more potential for building lasting friendships. Having completed all the legal formalities the church was dedicated recently. "FREE GIFT" CAMP MEETING SUCCESSES IN FINLAND.[Michael Hamilton /TED News] Lake Peurunaka, Finland - This year the Finish Bible Correspondence School celebrates 60 years as an effective method of introducing people to the Seventh-day Adventist way of life. Pastor Aimo Helminen, the Personal Ministries Director of the Adventist Church in Finland recently spoke about the success of small group ministry and traditional forms of outreach. He identified the Bible Correspondence School as the most effective method of introducing people to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Finland. This is coupled with another landmark anniversary custom, the Bible Camps. He stated that invitations and free tickets are issued to students who have completed a set number of Correspondence Bible lessons. Pastors who have conducted seminars and evangelistic meetings are also encouraged to offer free tickets to their interests and Bible study students to attend the Bible camps. During the Bible Camps, which are held at the beautiful Adventist camping site on the shores of the Lake Peurunka in central Finland, an intensive evangelistic campaign is conducted and invitations are extended for people to join the Adventist church. Pastor Michael Hamilton, Trans-European Division Personal Ministries Director commented, "I think that this is an excellent method of reaping and nurture of those who have been introduced to the teachings of the Adventist church. The encouraging testimonies of members in attendance at this year's summer camp, who have been involved in small group ministry and evangelistic seminars, have been a inspiration for others to be involved in some way in sharing their faith. The serene environment in which the camp is held is conducive to relaxation and reflection on spiritual themes, and in itself is an attraction for attendance at such a spiritual convocation." Two Bible Camps are conducted each year and there is an average of fifty-five people in attendance, fifty percent of whom are not church members. In 2007, during the Bible Camp, twenty persons joined the church through baptism and profession of faith; double the number in previous years. _________________________________________________________________ TED News Staff: Paul Clee, News Director and Editor Heidi Kamal Kendel, Editorial Assistant 119 St Peter's Street, St Albans, Herts., AL1 3EY, England E-mail: tednews@ted-adventist.org Website: www.ted-adventist.org TED News is an information bulletin issued by the Communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division. You are free to re-print any portion of the bulletin without the need for special permission. However, we kindly request that you identify TED News whenever you publish these materials. No virus found in this incoming message. 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