TED News Bulletin - August 6, 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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#179932 - 08/10/08 02:29 AM TED News Bulletin - August 6, 2008
magilly46 Registered: 10/29/02 Posts: 183 Loc: BC	TED News Bulletin Trans-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 6 August 2008 In this issue: ------------------------- * England: Record Attendance at Union Camporee * Norway: Youth in Action for Christ * Netherlands: The Great Commission Festival * Latvia: Summer Camp Success * Serbia: A Jubilee in Belgrade ------------------------- RECORD ATTENDANCE AT UNION CAMPOREE...[BUC News/TED News Staff/TED News] Chelmsford, England - On Sunday 27 July almost 1,200 campers were welcomed to the Camporee by the drum core from the Holloway Adventist church, accompanied by the drilling and marching of the 60 Adventist pathfinder clubs from across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Giving an international flavour, guest clubs from Germany, Spain and France also joined the Camporee organised by the British Union Conference (BUC) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Words of welcome were given by Pastor Don McFarlane, President of the BUC; the Presidents of the two English Conferences, and President of the Irish Mission. Also present at the opening ceremony were the local Mayor and Mayoress, who commended the leaders of the church for organizing an event that "keeps children off the streets" and trains them in "good moral values. Pathfinders enjoyed a week packed with over 30 activities, including a very popular aerial runway across a lake; crafts; abseiling and pioneering as well as trips offsite and plenty of fun. During the week Pastor A J Grant, from Canada, who lives and works in Australia led the spiritual emphasis. On the second evening, after challenging the pathfinders, 100 young people made a commitment to Jesus; and on Sabbath morning 19 were baptised. The Youth Director for the United Kingdom and Ireland, Pastor Boldeau says, "...it is so gratifying to see the event come to fruition. But the biggest blessing is the 19 young people who want to give their hearts to Jesus Christ". YOUTH IN ACTION FOR CHRIST...[Andreas Hjortland/TED News Staff/TED News] Bergen, Norway - With faith, enthusiasm and a desire to share Biblical truth with others, 24 young Seventh-day Adventists set aside two weeks of their holiday to run evangelistic meetings in the coastal town of Bergen. For some, this was the first time they had been involved in this type of evangelism, while others were engaged in a similar project last summer, in the capital Oslo. Initially, some set up stands in the centre of Bergen, distributing literature and handing out invitations to the meetings. Others were involved in doing a survey initiating contact with passers-by. In addition to communicating intensively the upcoming meetings, free publicity was offered when the largest regional newspaper wrote a news story on the youth initiative. The meetings themed "What is Happening to the World? - A Prophetic Perspective" brought visitors, church members and their friends and families together in the evenings, while a prayer group mobilised at the same time. Main organiser, Andreas Hjortland, reported that the youth group connected with many people during the two weeks, inside and outside the church. Some wished to keep in touch by e-mail, others would like to be connected to the local Adventist church. Some signed up for the Bible Correspondence School, while others requested personal Bible Study. Hjortland concluded that the youth initiative was a success, and a tremendous blessing to the young people being involved, and he mentioned a couple of comments made by the youth: "The the best thing I could ever be involved in with my friends", and "[This was] a taste of Heaven". Simultaneously, a similar project ran successfully in Molde, a town further north. The second half of those who organised the Oslo initiative last summer were leading this youth group. Dividing the experienced youth into two groups, offering support to the newcomers, turned out to be a success. Tor Tjeransen, President of the Adventist church in Norway, commented: "It is very encouraging to see how young people are active in sharing their faith. We pray that people they made contact with during the summer will make a personal commitment for Christ." Paul Tompkins, Trans-European Division (TED) Youth Director commented: "It is very encouraging to hear of these very practical outreach programmes and especially the involvement of Adventist youth. Young people want to be involved in the mission of the church and thrive on such opportunities - and with this in mind the TED have launched the Relay Institute of Youth Evangelism. Relay will be held in Hungary and Sweden in 2008 and hopefully in Norway and/or Denmark in 2009." THE GREAT COMMISSION FESTIVAL...[Wim Altink/TED News Staff/TED News] Oud Zandbergen, Netherlands - The "Grote Opdracht Festival" (Great Commission Festival) organised by the Dutch Adventist church, was held 20-26 July. Roughly three hundred participants from various adventist communities and "church plants" were daily involved in the more than fifteen different courses. In the courses (each 12 hours in total) various topics were discussed, including: how to set up house groups; how to give Bible lessons in a relational environment; how to read the books of Ellen G. White; how to preach, and how to start a prayer ministry. Additionally, there were daily plenary sessions in a tent, with emphasis on worship through song and music; and the national coordinator of Adventist Church Growth, Pastor Rudy Dingjan, gave a series of sermons on the book of Acts. As part of the Saturday morning programme gratitude was expressed to Rudy and Ria Dingjan, for their extraordinary contributions for the growth of the church. Speaking for the executive committee, Wim Altink, President of the Netherland Union Conference (NUC), and Andre Amsen, NUC Treasurer, gave Rudy Dingjan a bonsai tree as a symbol of the art of planting. They also announced that an oak tree will be planted on the grounds in Oud Zandbergen in honour of the church growth efforts within the Netherlands Union. The growth of the Adventist church in Holland is happening, amongst other factors, with the help of new churches, which through much preparation and care are being planted in eighteen different places in the country. The leadership of the Netherlands Union is directing itself towards this line of growth, whilst still giving consideration to the revitalisation of established churches. The way to the future lies "wide open," as the motto of the "Great Commission Festival" broadcasted. SUMMER CAMP SUCCESS...[I. Priede/G. Bukalders/TED News Staff/TED News] Balvi, Latvia - In the national park of beautiful eastern Latvia, Latgale - "the land of lakes" - Adventist youth Pathfinders had their 11th summer camp meeting which gathered 124 members from twelve Pathfinder clubs and 70 adults. The campers were blessed with the best possible weather, and local government officials and local people were very courteous and hospitable. The youth felt that the whole region supported their camp meeting. The week long programme culminated on Friday evening at sunset when 14 young people who had grown up in Pathfinder clubs got baptised. During this special moment another 80 teenagers expressed their wish to study the Bible and get baptised. Only few days have passed since the camp, but very positive responses have been received about the experience at the camp. These are some of the comments heard: "[There was a] nice, peaceful atmosphere in the silent and beautiful scenery...The friendship and praise of God, was something like a foretaste of eternity." "Really a wonderful camp!" A JUBILEE IN BELGRADE...[Miodrag Zivanovic/TED News Staff/TED News] Belgrade, Serbia - On Sabbath 26 July, the Adventist Church in the South-East European Union Conference (SEEUC) celebrated two jubilees: the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Adventist churches in the Belgrade region, and the 70th anniversary of the main Adventist Chapel in Belgrade. More than 1000 church members and guests from Europe and beyond came together for the celebration of the Jubilee. For the first time, journalists from an established TV station and journalists from the local newspaper "Politika" were among the guests, with representatives from other media units who had been advertising this event. The main speaker of the day was Pastor David Blanch, President of the Sidney Conference of the Adventist Church in Australia. Included in the programme was the recognition of those who have been supporting the Church, and posthumously to some of those who founded it or significantly characterized its function and mission. In addition, awards were given to the emissary of the Bishop of the Orthodox Church for his contribution to promote tolerance and religious freedom; and to the emissary of the Minister of Religion. __________________________________________________________________ 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 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.
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