BUC News #439 (22 April 2005)

Email Newsletter of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Contents:

INGATHERING TOTAL TO DATE
ADRA-SRI LANKA COMPLETES PROJECT IN GALLE DISTRICT
STANBOROUGH SCHOOL TEACHER RUNS LONDON MARATHON
SEC EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL RESOLVED
ACADEMIC SABBATH SCHOOL RESOURCE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
STANBOROUGH SCHOOL WEEK OF PRAYER
LATEST MESSENGER NOW ONLINE
KEN BURTON TO CONDUCT BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
GC PRESIDENT TO TALK WITH EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
COMING EVENTS
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INGATHERING TOTAL TO DATE

The latest figures for the 2005 ADRA Annual Appeal, based on bank deposits as recorded on Wednesday 20 April, show a total so far of £304,898.61. This breaks down as follows:

South England Conference - £152,924.84
North England Conference - £140,235.95
Welsh Mission - £8,656.22
Scottish Mission - £1,527.46
BUC office collection and ADRA-UK direct donations - £1,554.14

The total does not include monies collected in Northern Ireland or Gift Aid, and is about £23,000 down on the figure for the same time last year.

"We will not have the full picture of our final total before the end of May," says ADRA-UK director Raafat Kamal. "Many churches have not yet made their bank deposits and there are many factors which can affect the total at any particular moment in time. I would encourage all church members who may still have canisters at home to return them as soon as possible so that the money can be properly accounted for."


ADRA-SRI LANKA COMPLETES PROJECT IN GALLE DISTRICT - Arlene Senior

ADRA-Sri Lanka completed its distribution of household items during the week ending 8 April 2005. All items had successfully been distributed to beneficiaries in the Galle District, mostly in the Hikkaduwa area and the remainder in a town close to Peraliya. The residents who had been identified as being affected by the tsunami arrived on foot, by three-wheeler, or in trucks to collect the items promised to them from ADRA-Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Navy and a local NGO provided help during the distribution and transportation of the items and storage facilities were donated by a local company. Each family received: a kettle, frying pan, bowl, ladle, knife, spoon, plate, cup, coconut scraper, pot set, jerry can, storm lantern, mosquito net, towel, mattress, sleeping mat, sheet, and pillow.

Benjamin Klepp the project manager for the "Shelter and Distributions Project" was satisfied that all had gone well and help had finally reached the local residents who had gone through so much devastation in December 2004. ADRA-Germany provided 600 tents and household items for these families.


STANBOROUGH SCHOOL TEACHER RUNS LONDON MARATHON - Lorena Simionescu

On Sunday 17 April staff and friends lined the streets of London to support Stanborough School's Physical Education teacher, Russell McKie, on his first ever London Marathon run. Russell ran for the Stanborough School sponsored charity "Dinnertime", which was set up by the school's music and drama teacher, Deborah St Cyr, and funds lunch meals for the Kyaiku Primary School in Uganda. Russell completed the London Marathon in 4 hours 19 minutes and 20 seconds and raised over £1,000 pounds for the charity.

Speaking at the school this morning Russell explained that he had dreamt of running the London Marathon for many years. "This was the fourth year in a row that I have applied to run the London Marathon and I was really pleased when I got the confirmation in mid-November last year. I started training seriously in December, running three times a week. Initially I would do six miles on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and then ten miles on Sundays. Pretty soon I was able to increase this to eight miles on each evening and thirteen on Sundays, together with other general fitness training such as swimming, weights, and cycling. By the beginning of April I was doing eighteen miles on Sundays and finally, on a trip to Scotland, I did twenty-two, with my dad coaching from a bike. My target time was anywhere between four and four-and-a-half hours, so I wasn't too disappointed with my final result."

Not only a fitness enthusiast, Russell is also a vegetarian who is careful about his diet. "Marathon training requires a special diet," he said. "In the week before the London Marathon I had three days of high fat and high protein, and then it was four days of carbohydrate loading. On the day itself I had my usual hearty breakfast, mainly cereals, and then just drank lots of water."

Running the London Marathon was a personal ambition for Russell but the support he had from Stanborough School helped to keep him going. "My colleagues and the kids at the School were very supportive," he said. "When I was running, especially when the going got tough, it was great to know that they were out there amongst the crowds, or back at the school watching on television. But the support they gave me was typical of the support they give to many good causes - it's a great school."


SEC EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL RESOLVED

Many members around the South England Conference have been praying for a positive resolution to the Employment Tribunal Case that was to begin next week. The SEC office staff along with youth, ministers and many others spent last Tuesday in fasting and prayer. In a joint press release issued by the SEC and Paul Boldeau those prayers have been answered and an out-of-court settlement has been reached. The SEC would like to thank all those who have been praying and would ask you to continue to pray for all those who have been involved in this case or who may have been affected by it. The full press release is available on the SEC website .


ACADEMIC SABBATH SCHOOL RESOURCE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

A 83-page academic dissertation on Mark 8:27 to 10:52, authored by Conrad Vine, is now available on the Adult Sabbath School page of the BUC website. The passage is particularly relevant to the lesson studies for next week and the week after, though with its numerous footnotes and copious Greek, the dissertation is not for the faint hearted.

Entitled "The Marcan Concept of Discipleship" Vine's exegetical paper examines the idea of "taking up one's cross" within the daily Christian experience and the challenge that this poses for modern Christians within affluent communities.

The document is in Adobe Acrobat pdf format and is about 400 kb in size. It can be downloaded directly from: .


STANBOROUGH SCHOOL WEEK OF PRAYER - Lorena Simionescu

The week commencing Monday 11 April marked the return to school and the start of our Week of Spiritual Emphasis. Former Stanborough School student, Samuel Neves, a Brazilian native, spoke on "Spiritual Direction". By describing the characteristics of sheep and the requirement of a shepherd to maintain direction, Samuel explained that people needed God to remain spiritually focused. Using practical examples where students were blindfolded and had to identify voices of contemporaries or find a £5 note amongst evergreen trees, Samuel illustrated the difficulty we humans have in finding direction or recognizing even familiar voices.

The Week of Spiritual Emphasis concluded on 15 April and after the assembly, Samuel made himself available to pray with students.

Samuel Neves is currently studying a Masters in Theology at Newbold College. He completed his studies at Stanborough School in 1998.


LATEST MESSENGER NOW ONLINE

The 22 April edition of the Messenger is now on the BUC website in pdf format and can be downloaded by following the link on the front page. The front page article reports on the "13 Miles for Good" charity run in Hyde Park and includes photos of some of the participants.

In place of the usual editorial Pastor Patrick Boyle comments on the life and death of Pope John Paul II and encourages readers to acquaint themselves more fully with the role of the Roman Catholic Church in history. "Without the historical perspective," he says, "we may be blind to the unfolding developments in the religious world which John Paul II initiated."

The Messenger is the official printed newspaper of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland. Current and back issues can be found at: .


KEN BURTON TO CONDUCT BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

At 3.00 pm on Sunday 1 May Ken Burton will conduct the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham during a special concert entitled "Soul Symphony". The programme will be a celebration of hymns, both old and new, and will included performances from the vocal quintet "Black Voices", three choirs, including CBYV (City Of Birmingham Young Voices), the Peter Daley Band, and Adventist Musicians Association President Paul Lee. Music by Tina Brooks, Laura Douglas, and Peter Daley will be featured, as well as arrangements and compositions, including an orchestral overture, by Ken Burton.

The concert, which will be presented by "Songs of Praise" and former "Blue Peter" presenter Diane Louise Jordan, will explore the music of the Black Church, from Africa to the American South to the music of contemporary Britain. For further details, and to obtain tickets for the concert, see: . For more information about the work of Ken Burton see: .


GC PRESIDENT TO TALK WITH EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS - ANN

All topics will be open for discussion when Seventh-day Adventist world Church President Pastor Jan Paulsen meets with Adventist students from more than 10 European countries on Tuesday 26 April in Darmstadt, Germany. "Let's Talk...Europe," to be broadcast live by satellite across Europe, will be the third in a series of unscripted, unedited conversations between young people and their Church leader. It will be the first time the programme is held outside the United States.

For Pastor Paulsen, the one-hour broadcast provides a unique way to hear directly from young people. "There must be a more intentional dialogue with young people, and a greater recognition of the contribution that they can and do make within the Church," he says. "I look forward to hearing more from young people - ideas, opinions, questions."

The programme, which will be rebroadcast globally, is aimed at a specific demographic - the majority of participants will be Adventist students who are attending secular universities and colleges.

The most recent broadcast, held in September 2004 featured students attending Andrews University, an Adventist institution in Berrien Springs, Michigan, while the first "Let's Talk" telecast from Simi Valley, California, in the autumn of 2003, included teenage members of the Church.

"Let's Talk...Europe" will air on the Hope Channel. Local broadcast information can be found at or . The live broadcast can also be viewed online.


COMING EVENTS

A full list of coming events is located on the BUC website at: . Only brief details are listed below.

YOUTH WEEKEND REVIVAL - ILFORD. Starting at 7.30 pm on Friday 22 April with morning and evening programmes on Sabbath 23 April, at the Ilford church. Featuring Dr James Doggett from Huntsville, Alabama. Contact: Pastor Nigel David, Snr . Phone: 07952 162958.

BRIDGING THE GAP - TEENS AYS - WILLESDEN. 4.00 to 7.00 pm on Sabbath 23 April. The London Youth Federation present Bridging the Gap - a teens AYS. Dynamic praise and worship and singing. Speakers: Paul Boldeau, Andrew Fuller and Naomi Osei. Contact: Luke Whyte . Phone: 07709 803033.

NEW BEGINNINGS SERIES. Sabbath 23 April to Sabbath 7 May at the Hgh Wycombe Sands church. Subjects include: Daniel 2, Judgement, Health, Hell, Death, Bible, Sabbath, Baptism and the Millennium. This graphic series of Bible studies is ideal for all ages and cultural backgrounds bringing the Gospel alive for the community. Contact: Gideon Thomas . Phone: 01494 539802.

GOSPEL CONCERT - STANBOROUGH SCHOOL. 7.30 pm on Saturday 23 April. Annual Gospel Concert, organised by the PTA. This year's theme will be: "The Love of God". Arrive early if you want a seat. Entrance fee: £5.00 per person - collected during the interval. Light refreshments included. Contact: Lorena Simionescu . Phone: 01923 673268.

FAMILY LIFE COUNSELLING - LEICESTER. 2.00 pm on Sunday 24 April at the Leicester Central church. Run by Rainbows, the official counselling service for the North British Conference, together with the local women's ministry group. Free entry. Open to all. Contact: Georgia Dacres . Phone: 0116 277 8950.

ASTRONOMY AND LIFE - LARNE. Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 April at the Larne Adult Education Centre. Three public lectures on Creation and Evolution from an astronomical point of view, by Pastor Mart de Groot. Also at the Banbridge Seventh-day Adventist Church, 10, 11, 13 May. All lectures start at 7.30 pm. Free admission. Contact: Mart de Groot . Phone: 02838 879761.

POSITIVELY HEALTHY - GREENWICH. Every Thursday evening 7:30 pm for four weeks starting 28 April. A series of lectures on reducing health risks. Speaker: Richard J B Willis MA MSc FRSH. Venue: Greenwich church. Terry Messenger . Phone: 07879 454267.

NEC PRAYER WARRIORS 9 CONFERENCE. Friday 29 April at Alton Castle. Youth Prayer and Bible Conference. Speaker: Pastor Ron Halvorsen Senior. Contact: Alan Hush . Phone: 01159 606312.

ANNUAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT - NEWBOLD. Friday 29 April to Sunday 1 May at Newbold College. All players are invited to vespers on the evening of 29 April and Sabbath morning services the next day. Volunteers are needed throughout the weekend if anyone wants to come for the tournament but not play. Contact: Kay Choudary . Phone: 01344 407581.

NEWBOLD COLLEGE ALUMNI SPRING GATHERING. Sabbath 30 April at Newbold College. Morning speaker: Dr Laurence Turner. Music from the Alumni choir, lunch, concert, time to meet old friends and think new thoughts. RSVP to: Pat Dyckhoff . Phone: 01344 407583. Or: Sandra Rigby Barrett . Phone: 01344 407479. Website: .

2 HOT 2 HANDLE YOUTH DAY - BIRMINGHAM. Saturday 30 April at the Birmingham Windsor Street church. Guest Speaker: Darren Ross. Contact: Shanda Reid . Phone: 01214751883.

CHRISTIAN COMEDY JAM - LEYTONSTONE. 8.00 pm on Saturday 30 April. An evening of fun and laughter in the Christian sense of the word. Contact: Stephen Weekes . Phone: 07946 103629.

THE SPADE AND THE BIBLE. 7:30 pm on Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 May at the Larne Adult Education Centre. Three public evangelistic lectures on how archaeology confirms the Bible, by Pastor Dino Mastromihali. Free admission. Contact: Kim Papaioannou . Phone: 02840 627782.

"MAKE UP YOUR MIND" - TOTTENHAM. Starting Friday 6 May. This is a youth campaign, with the full backing of the London Youth Federation, running every Friday at 7.30 pm, Saturday at 7.30 pm, and Sunday afternoon throughout May 2005. Venue: Tottenham West Green Road Church, London N15. Confirmed speakers include: Sam Gungaloo, Tony Best and David McQueen. Music, refreshments and a spirit-filled atmosphere. Visit: and click the campaign poster. Contact: Diane Apeah-Kubi . Phone: 07939 626735.

GET HIGH ON JESUS - LEYTONSTONE DRUG AWARENESS. Sabbath 7 May at the Leytonstone church. Theme: "Get high on Jesus". A programme for youth of all ages hosted by Pastor BUC Health Ministries director Pastor Richard Willis. Contact: Donald Yearwood . Phone: 07960 838335.

ALL NIGHT PRAYER MEETING - LEICESTER. From 8.00 pm on Saturday evening 7 May, to 6.00 am on Sunday morning 8 May, at the Leicester Central church. Groups, choirs, soloists, powerful speakers and inspirational testimonies, special prayer sessions and requests for prayer. Contact: Jeanetta Liburd . Phone: 0116 2101376.

MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA - GREENWICH. Starts 7.00 pm on Saturday 7 May at the Greenwich church. Hosted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church Football League. Cost £5.00. Entry by ticket only. New Beginning, Advent Sound, Nigel Minott, Blessed Voices, and a host of other musical greats. Contact: Dennis Bennett . Phone: 07838 381394.

BIBLE CONFERENCE - WOLVERHAMPTON. Sabbath 7 May at the Wednesfield church, Wolverhampton. Speakers: Pastors Cecil Perry, Egerton Francis and Eric Lowe. This day of Bible studies is ideal for all ages and cultural backgrounds. All are invited. Contact: Pastor Richard Jackson . Phone: 07740 984029.

CHRISTIAN RESOURCES EXHIBITION - ESHER. Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 May. 350 Exhibitors, 96 seminars, live music and drama, and much more at Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey. Again this year the South England Conference will have a stand. See: . Contact: CRE . Phone: 01844 271476.

SEC WOMEN'S MINISTRIES SYMPOSIUM - LEWISHAM. Friday 13 to Saturday 14 May. Series of evangelistic meetings, seminars and much more at the Lewisham Seventh-day Adventist Church, Lewisham. Speaker: Dr Rosa Banks from Washington, USA. Contact: SEC Women's Ministries Director, Julia Smith on 01923 232728 or 07984 814098.

DISCOVERING CHURCH PLANTING - BIRMINGHAM. Saturday 14 May at St John's Church, Monument Road, Ladywood, Birmingham. This day of fellowship focuses on Church Planting. Organised by the NEC Church Growth Department with support from the NEC Church Planting strategy team (Paul Lockham, Michael Simpson and Bryan Webster). Morning speaker: NEC President Egerton Francis. Starts at 9.45 am. Afternoon programme at 2.30 pm. Bring your own lunch. Contact: Paul Haworth . Phone: 0121 3512188.

LONDON DAY OF FELLOWSHIP - AREAS 6C AND 6D. Saturday 14 May. Starts 10.00 am at the Wembley Conference Centre, Wembley, London HA9 0DW. Guest speaker: Pastor V J Mendinghall. Free entry by ticket only. Contact your local pastor for tickets. Afternoon concert starts at 4.30 pm. Featuring: The Heritage Singers, Kimberley Palmer-Washington, Neville Peter, and the London Adventist Chorale. Tickets: £10 to £15 or £7.00 for children under 14, available from the Wembley Box Office: 0870 060 0870. Contact: Pastor Steve Thomas . Phone: 01923 404710.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK. Sunday 15 May. As one of the member Churches of Christian Aid, the Seventh-day Adventist Church encourages all of its members to collect for Christian Aid during Christian Aid Week, and to support the charity in whatever other ways they can. Christian Aid Week is a week of fundraising, prayer and action for the world's poorest people. It is the UK's biggest house to house collection, involving 4,000 local organisers, 20,000 supporting churches and 300,000 dedicated collectors. More information can be found on the Christian Aid website at where you can also make a donation online, download promotional materials, or download worship resources that you can use in your church. Contact: Christian Aid . Phone: 020 7523 2225.

MORE THAN A MELODY - HOVE. Come and join us in the Hove town centre at 11.00 am on Sabbath 21 May as we introduce God to the Brighton Fringe festival. This will be a day of outreach for the un-churched (and the churched). Come and show your support. Dynamic preaching, informative workshops and fantastic singing. Evening concert starts at 7.00 pm. Cost: £5.00. Call for more info or to book a seat on the coach. Contact: Sacha Gillin . Phone: 07956 688923.

TED PRAYER GUIDE. For the week commencing 24 April we are praying for SWEDEN. Sweden's traditional exports of iron ore and wood have been replaced by IT and high tech solutions. The rapid development of IT and Sweden's leading position in wireless communication is partly due to a small population in a large country. Its population of 8.8 million people is spread out over 450,000 square kilometres.

Sweden ranks in the world's top three for mobile phone and internet usage and cable/satellite television. It is a post-modernist country where the majority of the population are non religious.

The Church faces the task of communicating the gospel of salvation to a nation that feels it has no need of Christ. Only the Holy Spirit of God can solve the problem. But He uses instruments of which technology is one. This is a medium that we can use to make contact with people. Today the Church has a website with a cyber-pastor where people can send in their questions about God, what Seventh-day Adventists believe etc. There are plans for developing the site to enable people to download Bible studies, order CD's and have live web-casts. We are also working to develop television/video programmes that members can use in their homes. Please pray for:

? The efforts to maximize the benefits of new technology.
? The plans for TV ministry. [Audrey Andersson, Executive Secretary, Swedish Union]

Editor's note. This prayer guide was written before Audrey's home was destroyed by fire, as reported in last week's BUC News. Please remember the personal needs of Audrey and her husband Lars at this difficult time.

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SMALL ADS

VOLUNTEERS WANTED. The South England Conference will be running a stand at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Esher from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 May. They would like to hear from anyone who can spare some time, even just a few hours, to represent the Church on the stand and speak with members of the public. If you can help please contact: Catherine Boldeau or Susan Watt at the SEC office. Phone: 01923 232728.

CHRISTIAN TV DRAMA WORKSHOP. If you are interested in storytelling, digital filmmaking & theatre as a form of self development and witness then there will be a programme run over six Sundays beginning 24 April 2005. The programme will run from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm and will cover all aspects of creating drama for TV broadcast. We are interested in hearing from anyone interested in working on this format, whether in front of the camera, in the technical areas, or behind the scenes. The programme will culminate in a one week film shoot of a drama for "Christian TV". Whatever your present skill level you will have the opportunity to help form and become part of the Adventist Professional Media Association. To register your interest or for more information please contact Mark Grey on: 07930 331961 or email .

ALPINE NEW START. Refresh your health this summer from 7 - 22 June and enjoy the holiday of a lifetime at the Alpine New Start spiritual and health retreat in the beautiful Waldensian valleys of Northern Italy. An inspiring programme has been planned with varied morning activities, afternoon excursions, and relaxing evenings. The main speakers will be: Dr Allan Lindsay, producer and narrator of the "Keepers of the Flame" videos, (worships and reformation history), Drs Roby Sherman and Clemency Mitchell (health programme), and Dr Colin Mitchell (local geography, creation science). Visit . Email .

NANNY AVAILABLE. Adventist lady from Croatia, aged in her 30s, seeks employment. Speaks good English, has a degree in education, own car, excellent references, first aid, is flexible, available immediately, and willing to work with children of any age. Contact Bella on: 07970 955849.

AU PAIR WANTED. Dynamic Adventist vegetarian family seeks Christian au pair to help with two young children and light housework. Nottingham area, starting this September. Lots of travelling and making friends. College near to house. Good transport. Contact Deniza . Phone: 0044 (0) 1159 536672.

AU PAIR WANTED. Adventist family in Denmark seeks English speaking au pair, for one year, to begin 1 August. Contact Jeanette or Henrik Jakobsen . Phone +45 7674 9075.

AU PAIR. Janina is a 15-year-old Swedish Adventist girl who would like to work as an au pair or nanny in England for a month or two any time after 10 June. She is keen to practice her English language skills. Phone Lyda Rajala on: 0046 (0) 8 7748566, or email Janina's pastor at: .


BUC News is a weekly news bulletin produced by the British Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and edited by the Communication Department. Items for inclusion should be sent to and need to be received by 6.00 pm on Thursday, preferably as simple email text. Coming Events and Small Ads should be kept short and preferably be submitted via the on-line form at: . The editor reserves the right to modify articles received to make them suitable for inclusion. The views expressed by individuals cited in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the views of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, though we try to ensure that they do. You are free to re-print any portion of this bulletin without the need for special permission. However, we kindly request that you identify BUC News or other sources whenever you publish these materials. Back issues are available on our website at .