The largest BUC camporee,with over 1,100 attending during the week and a further200-300 on Sabbath, was

held at the Skreens Park ScoutCampsite from Sunday 27 July until Sunday 3 August.

Advance party and planningFor a week prior to that, forty of theone hundred and twenty members ofstaff who formed the advance partywere on site, setting up and prepar-ing for the influx of numbers onSunday morning. Their tasks variedfrom setting up the booths and tentsfor craft activities, building pioneerstructures, and constructing the rope

bridge, the aerial runway, the waterslide and the bungee slide.

There was a shop on site whichneeded to be stocked. This meanttrips to several wholesalers and fruitmarkets.

On Sabbath 26 July, the advanceparty took a break from the toil andlabour of the week to enjoy theblessings of worship. Church washeld outside in an informal yetmeaningful way. During the studyhour, the worshippers split up intogroups to unpick the dynamics ofwhat it means to live the Christianlife as Jesus lived it.

‘We wrestle not against flesh andblood’ was the subject of the short

sermon delivered by Kevin Johns,pastor of the Community Fellowshipand Greenwich churches.

In the evening, the team celebrated the tenth weddinganniversary of Kieran and SharonPryce from Camp Hill church. Thecouple are avid Pathfinders andinvaluable members of staff. Whenasked why they would want to spendsuch a special time at camporee,Kieran said, ‘We discussed it andthought that there was no place thatwe would rather be than right here.’

Opening ceremonyAround 9am on Sunday morning,Pathfinder clubsbegan to arrive.

Already on site was a party fromGermany who had spent the previous week at Skreens Park.

With precision and grace thecamp head of security, Gloria Saville(NEC), ensured that cars wereparked sensibly.

By the time the opening ceremony began at 7.30, the may-hem of the day had calmed, exceptfor the beats of the drum corps andthe military instructions from theParade Commander, Natalie Simon.

The ceremony began with aninspection by the guests and

BUC camporee report 2008by Catherine Anthony Boldeau

Photos: Victor Hulbert, Natalie Davidson

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Actors? Entertainers? Conduits of grace?Engines of reproof? What?

The first thing we must be is ourselves.Not the camp meeting star pulpiteer. Not ashouter ’n’ stomper from the God Channel.Ourselves. Not a Holiness preacher from theAmerican Deep South. Ourselves.

When we adopt ‘the man’ style, the lack ofauthenticity that attaches to our presentationrubs off on our content. We do God and hisGospel no favours.

We can learn a lot from the great preach-ers but if we try to imitate them then we aredebasing a currency that is not ours butGod’s, and we’re compromising ourselves.

The best sermons are those we have care-fully and prayerfully mined from God’s Wordto meet the needs of our congregations. Andthen carefully and prayerfully honed andinternalised until every word tells. In MakingMen Whole, J. B. Phillips writes, ‘If words areto enter people’s hearts and bear fruit, theymust be the right words shaped so as to passman’s defences and explode silently andeffectively within their minds.’ So choosethem with care. To stand up in the pulpit andsay, ‘I’ve been busy this week so the HolySpirit will have to preach through me’ is,more times than enough, to be guilty of blasphemy.

Joseph Parker said, ‘In every pew there isa broken heart. Speak often on suffering andyou will never lack for a congregation.’ Hewas exaggerating – slightly – to make apoint. The people in those pews are hurting,broken, fragile and (in Jesus’ words) ‘wearyand heavy-laden’.

There is a growing group of people who,alienated for one reason or another, haveopted out of church attendance. It would bedangerous to generalise about the causes oftheir alienation. However, the issue (and thereis a big difference between issues and caus-es) I hear about most is the failure of ‘church’to meet spiritual needs. Those down anddamaged by life go to church and find them-selves bruised and battered some more.Jesus offered peace, rest and a well-fittingyoke. Occupants of our pulpits – somewherebetween two-in-three and four-in-five ofthem lay – could not always be accused ofbeing ‘gentle and humble in spirit’. The yokeof Christ makes it easier to carry life’s

Brain weight – The averageadult male brain weighs about11-12% more than the brainweight in women. Size – MRI scans show thatthe corpus callosum, whichregulates communication

between the brain’s hemispheres, is larger infemales than males.Brain usage – Men tend to be more leftbrained, while women use both sides more.Language – Men use the dominant hemisphere(usually the left side) for language, but a largernumber of women are able to use both sides forlanguage – hence the challenge to stop womentalking!Stroke advantage – Women who suffer astroke in the left frontal lobe of the brain usuallyretain some language from the right front side.However, men having the same left-sided damage are less likely to recover speech asfully.Emotional expression – The deep limbic system is responsible for emotions and bonding and is larger in females than males.As a result, women create bonds easily and are more expressive and in touch with their

T

When ‘the man’ gets in the way of the ManDavid Marshall

The years in which I did PhD research inLondon coincided with a poverty period andthe consequent need to walk a good deal. Wecould not afford a car. My walk home fromWatford Junction took me past a park wheregangs of male mid-teens hung out. Some ofthem knew me from school. When they sawme they would say, ‘Here comes de mon!’Usually I broke my journey for a chat. One dayI asked what ‘de mon’ meant; and, after that,they undertook my induction into Jamaicanyouth culture.

I gathered that this good-natured greetingwas used because, in their view, I walkedhead-erect as if I were ‘in charge’. They toldme – in an emergency they spoke standardEnglish! – that it was a matter of style, imageor persona. They even shared that theyaspired to de mon status themselves; butthey felt that their mothers and school teachers had alternative notions.

Some of those fellows did very well forthemselves. Some were sitting behind thewheels of BMWs before I bought my second-hand VW Beetle. Doubtless they were wonder-ing, then, why they had ever thought I merited‘de mon’ status! A bright yellow Beetle! Howuncool was that!

How does the man persona come over inthe pulpit? I can’t do it, but some preacherscan.

It would be good for the souls – but notthe egos! – of those preachers to listen in tothe conversations of the female church mem-bers once the service is over. Remember:four-fifths of those who listen to sermons arewomen!

‘Why does he bellow the whole time? I endup with a headache every week!’ ‘He was justspitting testosterone!’ ‘He says the chargingbull style is part of his nature. But so is sin!’‘Dramatic presentation: deafening. Content:repeated the same phrase 47 times.’‘Vaudeville meets divine service.’ ‘He was relying on the Holy Spirit again! Next weeklet’s hope he actually prepares something!Otherwise we’ll have to assume that the HolySpirit is all bark and no substance!’

Most comments reduce to: Who does hethink he is?

It’s a valid question. Who do we think we are– up there forty feet above contradiction?

Brain Health SeriesPart 8

GENDER DIFFERENCESIf you’ve read the book Men are from Mars,Women are from Venus or the religious alternative Men are from Israel, Women arefrom Moab, you would have concluded thatgender differences are quite significant; andthis is backed up by science.

So what are the differences?

Facts:Brain cells – Men have 4% more brain cellsthan women, and about 100g more brain tissue.Women have asked why men need more braintissue in order to get the same things done.Science is still working this out!

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feelings than men.Depression risk – A larger deep limbicsystem, however, makes females moresusceptible to depression, particularly attimes of significant hormonal changessuch as puberty, menstruation, postnatalperiod, and at menopause. Womenattempt suicide three times more thanmen. However, men kill themselves threetimes more than women, partly becausethey become disconnected more easilyand use more violent means of dying.Brain activity – Males demonstratemore activity in the mechanical centres of the brain, while women have moreactivity in the verbal communication andemotion centres of the brain. Communication – Generally, girls develop conversational skills much earlierthan boys.Visual accuracy and spatial aware-ness – Boys appear to develop betterdistance vision and space perceptionthan most girls, which gives boys anadvantage at some sports.

Nurture your brain!

burdens; too often our preachers make the burdens heavier.

Every preacher should have the words ofGospel Workers, pages 159-160, taped to thedesk where he prepares his sermons. Thequote begins, ‘My brethren, you are handlingthe words of life . . .’

The core of the quote is this: ‘Lift upJesus, you that teach the people, lift him upin sermon, in song, in prayer. Let all yourpowers be directed to pointing souls, con-fused, bewildered, lost, to “the Lamb of God.”Lift him up, the risen Saviour, and say to allwho hear, Come to him who “hath loved usand given himself for us.” Let the science ofsalvation be the burden of every sermon. . . .Bring nothing into your preaching to supplement Christ. . . .’

At an NEC session four years ago a youngpastor spoke of having based a series of evangelistic presentations on John’s gospel.Subsequently, from both the floor and plat-form, a certain amount of comedy was madeat his expense. We were given to understandthat all truly macho evangelism was based inRevelation. Interesting.

The central claim of the Christian faith isthat Christ alone can reveal God to man. Thefour gospels are there to reveal Christ andshowcase Calvary. Jesus said, ‘When I amlifted up I will draw everyone to myself.’ Soare we afraid of Jesus coming over toostrongly in our outreach? The consequencescould be amazing!

Many identify with the Risen Christ’s dirediagnosis of the condition of the church atLaodicea. May I remind them that Laodicea’smost fundamental problem was that it hadlocked the front door and left Jesus outside(Rev. 3:20)? Too often we hear of a monstrouscrypto-christ whose ‘message’ is indistin-guishable from that of the Pharisees Jesus so roundly condemned. ‘Bring nothing to your preaching to supplement Christ.’Remember?

How often does ‘the man’-style get in theway of the Person and power of Christ? If weput anything or anyone other than Jesus cen-tre stage, are we not beaten before we begin?Is ‘the man’ getting in the way of the Man?

Christ should never have to stand in theshadow of the preacher. The preacher shouldstand in the shadow of the Cross.

Pathfinder ranking officers. Theseincluded the Mayor of Chelmsford,Councillor Tom Willis, Pastor DonMcFarlane, president of the BUC,Pastor Paul Tompkins, Youth directorof TED, and Pastor Des Boldeau whois the Youth director of the BUC.

The programme for the eveningwas relatively short, with greetingsfrom guests and officers, togetherwith Pastor Sam Davis, president ofSEC, Pastor Ian Sweeney, presidentof NEC, and Pastor David Neal, president of the Irish Mission. DesBoldeau also acknowledged thepresence of the Youth directors fromaround the British Isles – NathanStickland (SEC), Trevor Thomas(NEC), Adam Keough (IM) andMarcel Ghioalda (SM).

The visiting clubs from Germany,Spain and France were warmly wel-comed. Floral tributes were given toMrs Rowena Davis and Mrs JenniferSweeney, as well as to the Mayoressof Chelmsford, Mrs Jane Willis.

Spiritual blessingsAs part of the opening ceremony thecampers were introduced to AJGrant, a pastor from Australia whodescribes himself as ‘fruit salad’. AJ

is of Indian descent but spent hischildhood in Vancouver, Canada, andsays that he was converted in anAfrican-American church but is married to a Caucasian Australian.

Basing his sermons for the weekon Proverbs 4:23, ‘Above all, guardyour heart; for out of it are theissues of life,’ he spoke about thenature of Christianity, drawing on hisown experiences. AJ spoke frankly,honestly and openly about his ownspiritual journey from a young manto the present day. He begged theyoung people not to listen to the‘hiss of the snake’ but to the pleading ‘voice of Jesus’.

During the week over 110 youngpeople came every night to the altarfor prayer, and 200 young peoplerequested Bible studies. On Fridayevening, after visiting the AdventistDiscovery Centre tent, AJ recom-mended their online courses whichcan be accessed atwww.discoveronline.org.uk.

As a result of the working of theLord, nineteen young people werebaptised on Sabbath morning. Theywere Derrano Green (Brixton),Nokuthabo Moyo (Bristol), SithabileBafanah (Cambridge), Darran Close(Chelmsford), Sachcadena SimoneWalker (Croydon), Hadassah Holder

(Holloway), MarcusRodney (Ilford), JoelRodney (Ilford), StefanCudjoe (Ilford), AmarahMitchell (Peckham),Hawa Vandi (ReadingWhitley), Leah ThelmaChitiyo (Bournville), KellyManungo (Bournville),Winston Chirambo (CampHill), Lydia Smith (CampHill), Danielle Fyffe(Camp Hill), TinoChiguma (Leeds), SeaneeMarie Tangonan Bennett(Scottish Mission),Jennifer Grace Logan(Scottish Mission).Pastors Nathan Sticklandand AJ Grant immersedthe candidates. The Youthdepartment of the BritishUnion Conference would like to wishthem the blessing of God on theirspiritual journey.

The soap operaAn integral part of the evening’s pro-gramme was the ‘soap opera’ writ-ten by Kay Rodney, a secondaryschool drama teacher from KingsCross Pathfinder club. The storylinecentred around two young men, Tomand Jez, both of whom grew up in

church, attended Pathfinders, butwho chose different paths.

The kids loved the soap, leavingtheir seats each evening to get abetter view of the actors, who wereall Pathfinders. The soap concludedon Sabbath morning with a happyending. The drama was reflective ofurban life in a large city, but also ofthe grace of God to change lives.

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Serve our Saviour

Have you gone to bed tiredbut found yourself wideawake? You have put yourhead on the pillow and

instead of experiencing the forgetful-ness of sleep your mind has beenreplaying a record of a deep-seatedhurt, one which does not turn off,night after night. Sleeplessnessseems to be the tip of an icebergwhen it comes to the effects causedby various types of hurt. MarioPereyra and his colleagues atUniversidad Adventists del Plata,Argentina, for nearly a decaderesearched the attitudes resultingfrom emotional and physical hurt. Inan article in Dialogue 16.1 in 2004entitled ‘How Do You React WhenOffended?’ Pereyra wrote that theyfound eight characteristic attitudes.

• Submission – a passive acceptance.

• Denial – a conscious forgetting.• Hostile reaction – instant

retaliation.• Revenge – intentionally planning

vengeance.• Resentment – retaining feelings

of anger and remembering thewrong.

• Explanation – confronting theother person so as to overcomediscord.

• Forgiveness – it is more thancommunication; it is reaching anunderstanding of the cause.

• Reconciliation – this includesexplanation and forgiveness butadds the intention of reviving agood relationship.

By studying people of differentages, genders, marital status, beliefsand origins, this study showed thatthese eight characteristic responsesformed three basic groups of behaviours:

• The first included submissionand denial.

• The second response group corresponded to behaviours ofhostility, revenge, resentment,where upsets sometimes resultedin outbursts of anger.

• Thirdly, the responses are

channelled through dialogue andnegotiation, actively seeking toachieve reconciliation.

Long before any clinical studieshad been done on the impact ofabusive behaviour, Jesus knew thatthe solution lay in taking these expe-riences to the Creator of humanity,

the heavenly Father. He shared thissolution with his disciples, and theformula is known as the Lord’sPrayer: ‘Forgive us our debts as wealso have forgiven our debtors.’(Matthew 6:12.) Here the word‘debt’ is one of five Greek words forsin – ophidian – which means afailure to pay that which is due. Theliteral meaning of this phrase is‘Forgive us our sins in proportion aswe have forgiven those who havesinned against us.’ Jesus gives anexample of this in the parable of the unmerciful servant. (Matthew18:23-35.) He graphically tells howthe king forgave his servant a debthe could never ever repay but theservant could not forgive a fellowservant a small debt. The king’sresponse was to give no mercy tothe unforgiving servant. Jesus con-cludes: ‘This is how our heavenlyFather will treat each of you unlessyou forgive your brother from yourheart.’

Why should Jesus, who is oftenpictured as being ‘gentle, meek andmild’, be so insistent over the matterof forgiveness? Our Designer Creatorunderstands only too well the impor-tance of the need of the physicalhuman system to be cleansed fromresentment. Multiple scientific stud-ies back up the findings at the SouthAmerican Adventist College whichconcluded that those in the first ofthe three response groups, who

showed denial and submission, andthose in the second group, whoresponded in violent, hostile out-bursts, were most likely to experi-ence physical and mental healthdisorders. Literature on this issuereveals that those who bottle uptheir emotions are most susceptibleto cancer. The violent, explosive

releases of anger can cause illness-es such as heart attacks and otherheart disorders. These people alsohad a tendency towards suicide. Onthe other hand, those in the thirdgroup, who sought explanation, for-giveness and reconciliation, weremore likely to have religious beliefs.The resulting better health of thisgroup is exactly as outlined inJames’ epistle chapter 5 and verse16: ‘Therefore confess your sins(debts) to each other and pray foreach other so that you may behealed.’

There are terrible atrocities hap-pening every second by powerful‘others’. How can sex slaves, emo-tionally damaged children or torturedprisoners be expected to do as Jesusexpects, ‘forgive your debtors’?Could it be that he could ask thisbecause he knew it was possible?Not instant but possible. Not auto-matic but possible. Not humanlypossible but divinely possible. Yousee, these words are couched in thecontext of prayer where the humanheart is reaching up to the divine.Here is one person’s experience ofsuch a prayer.

‘I lay in bed with my mindreplaying the emotional hurts I hadexperienced and found I could notforgive the person who had done thisto me. “I cannot forget, let alone for-give such behaviour,” my mind criedout to God. “I simply cannot forgive;

I know I should.” Instantly Godanswered my challenge, saying, “Iknow you cannot forgive, it is nothumanly possible, but turn your eyesupon Jesus as he hangs on the crosscarrying your debts.” At that momentI saw my own sinfulness and askedhis forgiveness for all my debts.Again I shared my inability to utterwords of forgiveness to the one whohas so abused me. Once again Goddrew near and spoke. “I know youcannot forgive but I can say thewords for you.” “Oh yes, Lord,” Ireplied, “say them for me.” “Fatherforgive them,” I heard Jesus sayfrom the cross. Peace finally cameafter years of hurt, and that night at five o’clock I fell into a deepsleep.’

In the article from Vibrant Lifeissue one 2001 ‘Forgiveness; A Keyto Better Health’, Allison Kitchenconfirms that forgiveness is not usu-ally a single act but starts off as adecision to allow the possibility offorgiveness to happen. ‘This decisionleads to freedom from the effects ofhurt and abuse,’ states Ran Schmitz,a Christian physiologist. It is thisdecision that enables those imprisoned by life’s hurts to go on a journey through the five stepsof forgiveness.

1 Recognise the true depth of aninjury. Overlooking the magnitudeof the hurt is a stumbling blockto forgiveness.

2 Grieve over your losses. Feel thedepth of the pain. Let it surface.

3 Examine how your perception oflife has been infracted by thisinjury. Often faulty core beliefsresult in unhealthy patterns ofjudgement.

Schmitz has found these firststages take time. Forgiveness is not an overnight act. Often it takes a series of choices and steps. The heart may take a whilebefore it catches up with the head

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and can go on to these next steps.

4 Learn empathy skills. Recognisethe abuser is a human being withproblems, pain and tears whichlead to them making choices thatwere hurtful to others. Yes, this is the hardest step to take butthe most critical in terms of generating genuine forgiveness.

5 Challenge prevalent myths about

forgiveness, such as relation-ships must be completelyrestored before you can stopbeing angry about a sinful act.

These five steps lay a foundationto the final work of forgiveness, asthey involve recognising thatvengeance belongs to God. Holdingon to anger will lead to further dam-age to oneself. Forgiveness is not

walls are closing in on you and youare paralysed by fear and totallyincapable of climbing or even claw-ing your way out. You are screamingso loudly but no one can hear you.You speak but no one can hear orunderstand you. You become desperate and you want out of life.

One of the very worst things indeepest depression and despair isthe utter loneliness. In the depths ofnight, fear grips your heart andparalyses your mind. But most of all,you feel very, very alone and soafraid. You want to escape, but youcannot run away from yourself.

The symptoms of depression aremany and varied. Each person canexperience a multiplicity of symp-toms which will include uncontrol-lable crying, bursting into tears forno reason, irritability, withdrawalfrom everyone, anger, weight loss orweight gain, lack of concentration,violent mood swings, fear and anxiety, an over-awareness of andsensitivity to criticism, feelings ofguilt, hopelessness, inadequacy, achanged pattern of sleep – eitherwaking up early or an inability to getto sleep – no interest in food, orovereating as a kind of comfort.Food can also be used as a way ofgaining control, where the person literally starves himself, adding to an uncontrollable feeling of totaldespair.

Many depressed people experience overwhelming exhaustion.While they need plenty of sleep, theyare often afraid to go to sleep andwill force themselves to stay awakeuntil the early hours of the morning.This creates a vicious cycle of tiredness and total exhaustion.

There are others who sink so far into despair that they abusethemselves with drugs (includingprescription drugs), sex and alcohol.

And nothing to look backward towith pride,And nothing to look forward towith hope. Robert Frost

How do I survive?Although I am qualified Christiancounsellor and was a psychiatricnurse many years ago, I still lack theability to drag myself up from thedark hole of depression.

I have an intellectual under-standing of my depressive episodes,but I have become totally paralysedand cannot untangle myself fromthis ‘thing’ that is dominating mylife.

In my deepest, darkest hour, Iwear a mask so that no one can seethe pain, hurt and ugliness within. Ihave developed different masks fordifferent occasions and I wear themwell. I remove them only in the privacy of my home.

What I find unhelpful is when youtry to give advice and use suchclichés as ‘You will live. You arestrong. You will cope. You just needto pray more.’ In fact, your wordsonly serve to make me feel moreinadequate because I am literally unable to carry out what isto you the simple task of praying.You are not aware of the fact that Iam unable to pray because I haveno words with which to express myutter despair. I do not know where to start or even what to ask for. It makes me feel guilty that I cannot do something as basic aspraying.

If I say ‘I cannot pray,’ do notstand in judgement on me. Instead,pray for me. One of the things that Ifind helpful is when someone whodoes not know or does not under-stand the turmoil I am in says tome: ‘I am praying for you.’

This is more uplifting than theunhelpful barrage of well-meaningadvice. Knowing that you have takenthe time to lift me up to the throne ofgrace – a place where I am unableto go by myself – helps me to acceptthe fact that God is still working onmy behalf because he has placedthe desire in your heart to pray forme.

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Forgiveness is necessaryby Heather Haworth, Family Ministries department

Abuse Prevention Day is Sabbath 6 September

How can sex slaves, emotionally damaged children or tortured

prisoners be expected to forgive?

What is depression?Depressive illness is as common asthe common cold. It is its ownunique self that takes on a life of itsown. It is no respecter of personsand comes to you out of nowhere.Some depressed people are able tolive fairly normal lives. For others itis not so easy, because some stagesof depression are too dark and toopainful for them to do anything at

all. Some people cannot even man-age the basic survival techniques,like getting out of bed, bathing, eating and drinking, things mostpeople take for granted.

What does it feel like?It is like a thick cloud that comesdown on you totally unexpectedly.You feel as though you are in a blackhole, unable to pull yourself out. The

humanly possible; it must bethrough Jesus. The choice must bemade to stop thinking aboutdestructive memories and to replacethem with positive ideas. Ask othersfor help and pray that God will give strength and the power for forgiveness to become a part of your attitude towards life.

Forgiveness exchanges anger,bitterness, hatred, depression and

health problems for a peacefulnight’s sleep. That is what our Godwants for us and that is what hemakes possible when we pray,‘Father, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.’

For more material on this topiccontact your Family Ministriesdepartment for previous years’material published for the AnnualAbuse Prevention Sabbaths.

What isdepression?

Adventists are not all that good at understandingdepression and dealing with depressives with sensitivi-ty. This is an attempt by a depressive church worker tohelp MESSENGER readers understand what depressionis and what it feels like. It was written by a churchworker, who is a qualified Christian counsellor, at therequest of BUC president Don McFarlane. It has helpedhim understand depression and he hopes it will helpyou, too.EDITOR

In a change of venue this year,women from Scotland – and England– came to the seaside town ofSaltcoats on the Ayrshire coast forour Women’s Ministries retreat. Wewere blessed with fine, warmweather, and Adelaide House is righton the shore with fine sea views.

The theme for the weekend was‘In His Image – For His Purpose’,presented by Geraldene Farmer, whois a coach by profession. At thirty-four, it was our largest group so farand we were all eager to find outwhat God’s purpose was for each ofus. Heather Haworth, BUC Women’sMinistries leader, also attended forpart of the week and she brought us

up to date with what is happening inWomen’s Ministries.

Over the weekend, Geraldene ledus through the theme with a seriesof workshops, from an introductionon Friday night, looking at our potential to meet God’s purpose onSabbath, identifying our spiritual

gifts, and a general discussion onSabbath evening when we were ableto ask questions and discuss issues,to the Sunday morning’s topic, LivingLarger on Purpose, when we madedecisions about our personal mis-sion statement and how we weregoing to fulfil God’s purpose in ourlives. Some hard thinking was nec-essary. We were inspired and

enthused and prepared to go backhome to act on our commitment.

There were other factors thatcontributed to the inspiration anduplift of the weekend. On Sabbathour early morning worship was heldoutside on the deck in the brightsunshine with a light breeze fromthe sea. It was a wonderfullyrefreshing way to start the day. Thetwo morning worships were taken bythe women from Dundee and

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Pastor Kirk Thomas only had fifteenminutes left for his sermon beforebaptising two strong young men during divine service: Alex Castle,18, nicknamed ‘Pastor’ by PastorThomas, and Eusi Anderson, a stu-dent who has just completed univer-sity. Pastor Thomas and Eusi, whophoned ‘Pastor’ to insist that he bebaptised, attended the same churchin Guyana. The mothers of the can-didates were present to witness thebaptism of their sons.

Pastor Thomas’s sermon, titled

‘Only for the weak’ and taken from 2Corinthians 12:9, 10, pointed outthat Christianity was onlyfor the weak. Not only thecongregation, but even moreso the candidates needed tobe reminded that when Paulwrote about his weakness, he had us – the Christians down theages – in mind. He boastedof his achievements only in God’s strength as hehimself was affected by a

chronic ailment. He was perfect instrength through the consciousnessof his own weakness, and so it should be with us, since we aresinners saved by grace.MICHELLE RONDOF

Stafford’s Education Day Stafford church, which meets atRowley Street Methodist and Churchof England, Stafford, ST16 2RH, willbe presenting an Education Day on13 September.

This programme will examine thephilosophy which underpins worldeducation upon which the nationalcurriculum is based.

The Education Day will present a biblical and Spirit of Prophecy perspective on ‘true education’. Theday will begin at 10am and will consist of a musical praise sessionfrom our own and visiting children’sdepartments, practical home-schoolworkshops hosted by home-schoolpractitioners and a question andanswer session. Our main presenterof the day, Neal Lawrence, will beleading out in divine service.

A tasty vegan and vegetarianmeal will be served at lunchtime(donations will be gratefully appreciated).

Please contact Dana Sudworthon 01785 614346 for further details.

Winners!On Sabbath 19 July, friends, familiesand visitors gathered to celebrateanother year of achievement withthe Pathfinders and Adventurers atHove church. The service was cen-tred around their chosen theme: ‘Weare all winners’. This was reflectedin the children’s story in whichDaniel, like themselves, rose abovemany trials. This emphasised thatwe may not always be winners inthe world, but if we obey and put ourtrust in God, then we are all winnersfor him. Their special item, ‘Lord,prepare me’, was a testimony oftheir aspirations to work and be vic-torious for God. The Pathfinder areaco-ordinator, Sirbrina Ramharack-

Deen, reminded us in her sermonettethat we are all on a track running forthe prize that God has offered us.

After a fellowship lunch enjoyedby all, the Pathfinders provideddesserts which included homemadecakes, cookies and fruit salad. Thiswas followed by an afternoon pro-gramme in which they encouragedeveryone to share their favouriteBible texts as a testimony of God’sfaithfulness towards us. We werealso blessed with the opportunity forthem to share with us some of theirachievements throughout the year. Inclosing, we all gathered to say aspecial prayer for the Pathfindersand Adventurers to continue to workhard in all they do and always to putGod first.

Each Pathfinder and Adventurer

‘The Assurance of Salvation’ was thetheme for a special one-day Bibleconference held at the CardiffAdventist church on Sabbath 19 July.Guest speakers were BUC presidentPastor Don McFarlane and PastorIvan Milanov, who is currentlyresearching the book of Daniel forhis PhD thesis at Newbold College.An estimated 170 people came fromall over South Wales, filling thechurch to capacity.

Although Pastor Milanov was notpreviously known to most of those inthe congregation, they soon warmedto him as he spoke on the theme,‘Let Justice be Done’ in the first

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Assurance of salvation at Cardiff

was invested into theclass listed andreceived awards andhonours for work com-pleted: Adventurer:Kenny Shimwa – BusyBee; Gugu Sibanda –Sunbeam. Pathfinder:Jonathan Chappell-Seetayah – Friend;Lorraine Masayike –Companion; ElihudeJustin Urassa –Companion; Bessie Phiri– Explorer.

A club award forbest achievement wasalso given to KennyShimwa. Special thanks go toAgatha Dunn and Yvonne Seetayahfor all their hard work and commit-

ment to make the day successfuland spiritually uplifting. AMANDA ANOZIE

morning session. Starting with theOld Testament, he explained theclose relationship between theHebrew concepts of ‘righteousness’and ‘justice’, and showed how amisunderstanding of God’s naturecan come from the Greek view ofjustice as ‘punishment’. In contrast,the biblical view of justice and right-eousness includes victory, covenantand deliverance.

In the divine service PastorMcFarlane spoke on ‘A Matter ofHoliness’. Starting from Revelation22:11 and the characteristics ofthose who will be saved, he remind-ed the congregation that holiness is

vitally important for our sal-vation. However, he thenwent on to show that thereare actually three types ofholiness: generic holiness,obtained by association; per-sonal holiness, a process of

maturing obtained by walking withChrist; and God’s holiness, whichcan only be received as a gift,through faith. Important as the firsttwo are, it is only the last one ofthese that can save us.

This theme was developed fur-ther in the afternoon by PastorMilanov, who asked the question‘Once Saved Always Saved?’ Sadly,Pastor Milanov pointed out, not allSeventh-day Adventists have theassurance of salvation – or at leastmany of them feel uncomfortableexpressing their assurance.Salvation, though, has three compo-nents: past, present and future. Nowwe are saved from the power of sin,but not the presence of sin. It is amatter of both ‘moment’ and‘process’, but all the time it is a‘relationship’ with Jesus.

The day concluded with numer-ous practical illustrations of what‘The Assurance of Salvation’ meansin day-to-day life. ‘Those who aresaved will produce good works,’ said

Pastor Milanov. They will do good,not out of guilt or the desire for areward, but simply because it isgood.

Pastor McFarlane drew on hislong experience of pastoral andadministrative ministry to illustratehow we should present the Gospel topeople today. ‘Condemnationdestroys relationships,’ he said.However, responding to questions onchurch discipline and standards heexplained that there are some caseswhere discipline is still necessary.‘The people we need to disciplineare the rebellious, the haughty andthe hypocritical,’ he said, ‘but notthose who are struggling. We need tobe an encouraging and affirmingChurch, where sinners can comeand know that they will not be con-demned. The highest standard of theChurch is the standard of love.’

Many people worked hard tomake the Bible conference a suc-cess. Overall co-ordinator was thelocal pastor, Jan McKenzie, but hewas assisted by the Cardiff elders,deacons, musicians and singers,among others. Those present wereparticularly grateful to the highlyefficient catering team who provideda full meal for around a hundredpeople at lunch time.

Those familiar with the Cardiffchurch were pleasantly surprised bythe recent facelift that the buildinghas received. New railings and paintin the car park have secured andbrightened up the rear of the church,and a great deal of cleaning andtidying by members during a recentworkday has much improved theinterior as well.JOHN SURRIDGE

‘The people we need to discipline are the rebellious, thehaughty and the hypocritical,’he said, ‘but not those who arestruggling. We need to be anencouraging and affirmingChurch, where sinners cancome and know that they willnot be condemned. The higheststandard of the Church is thestandard of love.’

Willesden baptism

Scottish women’s retreat

Glasgow, and the praise sessionswere led by the Bolton group. TheSabbath evening sacred concert wasa great time of sharing – of stories,singing, a quiz, and, most powerfully,finding out how many languagebackgrounds we were from.

The time felt all too short, and bySunday we were not really ready togo home. Comments from thewomen, when asked for suggestionsfor future retreats, included the pos-sibility of having a longer weekend,or a full week.

We enjoyed the opportunity to gettogether, some taking advantage ofthe time as much as possible, stay-ing up, talking and singing until thewee small hours. As we left, wewere already looking forward tomeeting up at our next retreat.JUDITH MARTIN

Scottish Mission Family Camp isheld annually, led by the Mission’sFamily Ministries sponsors, on theCowal Peninsula, which forms partof the picturesque south-west ofScotland. The remote and friendlyChristian Port Ban Holiday Park, withits outstanding views of the islandsof Jura and Islay, every year wel-comes a group of families fromaround the Mission to have theirfamily camp. The event, althoughsmall in its beginnings about twentyyears ago, now welcomes represen-tation from almost every church inthe Mission. The past two yearseven drew a family all the way fromDarlington in England. This yearnineteen families, making the number around fifty-five, arrived onFriday 27 June and stayed until 4July.

Although the weather forecast forthe week was ‘dreich’ (a Scottishword for dull, overcast, miserableand rainy weather) the spirits of theattendees were optimistic, lookingforward to a relaxing yet Spirit-filledweek together.

Family camp usually includescraft activities for children, sportssessions for everyone – whichalways are joined by other visitors to

the caravan park; the odd golf put-ting competition; a praise eveningfor Saturday vespers; a fun auction– of which the proceeds go to thecaravan park for their generosity andfriendliness; a talent evening; campfires; and a trip to the beautifulnearby town of Tarbert.

The unique draw card this yearwas the invitation of a camp speakerwho led our evening worship ses-sions. Pastor Wayne Erasmus, whopastors Weston-super-Mare in SEC,along with his wife Karliese and theirtwo daughters Michaela andMatthea, graced the camp with theirpresence and enthusiasm. His inspirational thoughts on the sevenmiracles in the gospel of John, alongwith innovative prayer and praisesessions led by Karin Edwards andgood singing by the whole group,allowed us to reflect on the personalapplications these miracles have toour daily lives.

Other events this year, whichhave not formerly been part of theweek’s events, included a campbarbecue led by Pastor David Hatchand his assistants, a talent and funevening by Pastor Clifford Herman,and a fast and exciting game of ‘blitz’ cricket introduced by Pastor Jim Botha.

The forecast for the week hap-pened to be correct, and it wasindeed ‘dreich’. However, whatmakes every Scottish Mission familycamp amazing and memorable,which was no different this yeardespite the weather, is always theinvolvement of everyone, I reallymean everyone, who attends. Youngand old get involved, contribute andalways find opportunities to blesssomeone else. CLIFFORD HERMAN,

Scottish Mission Family Ministries sponsor

There is a favourite camp meetingsong which goes: ‘It only takes aspark to get a fire going . . . Andsoon all those around can warm upin its glowing. . . .’

The ‘spark’ behind the Bathchurch Ingathering happened to be adynamic octogenarian, EleanorFriend.

Sister Friend, who is the church’sIngathering agent, decided to sup-plement the traditional Ingatheringmethods with a sponsored walk.This was ten miles long. Eight mem-bers took part. Considering that

8 Messenger

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Light the fire by Ingrid Wellman-Francois

there is a membership of thirty-six,of whom a good part went door todoor, coupled with those who literallywent the extra mile for the Lord’swork, a goal was set for £300. Thefaith goal was £500. God supersed-ed these paltry expectations with atotal of £1,835.70.

As famed architect and city plan-ner Daniel Burnham stated, ‘Makeno little plans; they have no magic.Make big plans, aim high in hopeand work.’ A youthful spirit motivat-ing a small congregation, combinedwith great faith, truly reminds usthat miracles are still in the making.Let’s also not forget the text found inEphesians 3:20 and 21: ‘Now untohim that is able to do exceedingabundantly above all that we ask orthink, according to the power thatworketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesusthroughout all ages, world withoutend. Amen.’

Wallington raise £800+for Burma The Wallington church is in its infan-cy, but on Bank Holiday Monday 26May the few members of the churchwalked in the rain in Mellows Park,Wallington, to raise money for ADRAin aid of the Burma Cyclone emer-gency. Dressed in ADRA attire andholding the ADRA banner, both theyoung and not so young were not putoff by the non-stop rain.

The church, under the leadershipof Pastor Dusan Uzelac, is part ofthe various churches which seniorpastor, Dr Brighton Kavalogh, isresponsible for, and to which he andthe Croydon members give a lot ofsupport. The church meets at St

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The money collected will helpADRA to continue to provide emer-gency aid to victims of the cyclonethat hit Burma (Myanmar) and killedwell over 100,000 people. We con-tinue to pray for the people ofBurma. PATRICK McKERROW

they could take their children to thebranch Sabbath School for a coupleof hours on a Saturday afternoon.The children would be picked upfrom their homes to meet for songs,Bible stories, quizzes and refresh-ments. They would then be returnedto their homes. The response wasamazing. At times there have beenup to fifty children at the branchSabbath School. When theBirmingham Community Association(BCA) in Small Heath offered to letus rent a room for £5 a month wejumped at the opportunity and thebranch Sabbath School settled thereuntil 2005.

Sister Quarrie explained that rightfrom the very beginning it has beena joint effort supported by severalfaithful church members. She said,

‘Some would come to tell Bible sto-ries or lead out in the singing. Someregularly used their own vehicles toferry the children to and from theirhomes for many years until CampHill bought its own minibus. Therewere others who would bring bis-cuits and snacks for the children.We also organised a yearly day tripfor the children, which has only beenpossible because of the support ofindividuals who have felt inspired tosupport us with finances. Manytimes when what little funds we hadwere long spent, several memberswould approach me with five or tenpounds to help out with the branchSabbath School.’

When asked to describe what shefelt were the highlights of her manyyears of leading out in this mission,

she said, ‘One of the most satisfyingaspects of the branch SabbathSchool has been preparing the chil-dren to take programmes to seniorcitizens’ homes and to churches,both local and further afield. It wouldgive us an opportunity to invite theirparents (who did not usually go tochurch) into the church to see theirchildren sing and recite poems andScripture. To see the pride on theirparents’ faces was priceless.’ SisterQuarrie was delighted to tell usabout what she called ‘the fruit’ ofthe branch Sabbath School. Shespoke of one young girl who startedattending at the age of 3, accompa-nied by her older sister. Although hersister eventually stopped attending,she continued to come and took partin many of the branch SabbathSchool programmes, even leadingout in a children’s evangelism pro-gramme. In time she was baptisedand soon afterwards her mother

started attending church and wasalso baptised. Another one of herfruits is also a baptised member ofour church and has been teachingthe regular Primary Sabbath Schoolfor several years.

When a tornado hit Small Heathon 25 July 2005, the roof of the BCAbuilding was ripped off. After morethan twenty years of the branchSabbath School meeting at the BCA,we were homeless. The branchSabbath School started to meet inthe basement of Camp Hill churchand has continued to meet theresince. With the move into the churchbuilding many of the children fromthe community gradually stoppedattending. However, their placeswere filled by the children of churchmembers. Our format has changedto accommodate this. We now focuson getting the children to study theBible in depth, reading the Bible forthemselves. We have worked ourway, chapter by chapter, throughbooks like Esther, and first and second Samuel.

We asked Sister Quarrie: ‘At 75,what plans do you have for thefuture of the branch SabbathSchool?’ She answered, ‘My sonWorth has taken an increasinglycentral role. He is a natural story-teller, a talented musician andbrings a lot of fun into the SabbathSchool. I have been able to sit backa little and let him take the lead. Ithink as long as I am able I will con-tinue to be involved with the branchSabbath School even if I am onlypropped up in a little corner somewhere just looking on.’

For those of you who are readingthis and are inspired to start theirown branch Sabbath School, SisterQuarrie has this advice: ‘You musthave a lot of patience, love childrenwith all your heart, and be firm.Don’t take all the responsibility onjust your own shoulders. Get help.Seek support and listen to soundadvice from others, because evenafter twenty-five years you still won’tknow it all.’

We at Camp Hill are very proudof Sister Quarrie and the work she isdoing with the branch SabbathSchool. We pray that God will contin-ue to bless her efforts and bring theseeds of truth that she is sowing inthe hearts of these young children tofruition.JEFF HALL

9 Messenger

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For a great day of fun and fellowship

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The basement at Camp Hillchurch was recently filled tobursting when Olga Quarrie

celebrated her 75th birthday andtwenty-five years of leading thebranch Sabbath School. Interviewedby Jeff Hall, she gave us a littleinsight into her experiences in children’s missions.

Sister Quarrie told us that thebranch Sabbath School began in1982/3 after another church mem-ber, Sister Greenaway, suggested theidea to the church board to extendthe regular children’s SabbathSchool out into the local community.The church agreed to provide fund-ing so that a space could be rentedat a school in Small Heath andSister Quarrie was appointed leader.Sister Quarrie, Sister Greenaway andseveral other sisters went to theirneighbours and friends and asked if

25 years leading branch Sabbath School

Sabbath 19 April was truly a home-coming for the past and presentmembers and friends of Holloway.

The weather was conducive totravel and by the end of SabbathSchool the sanctuary was filled tocapacity. Pastor Clive DeSilva (a sonof Holloway) was the speaker for thedivine hour. His sermon was pref-aced by a rendition from theChiswick choir and Sister U.Alexander, who reminded everyonethat ‘He is able to carry youthrough’. Before he went into hisdiscourse on ‘The Long Walk Home’Pastor DeSilva reminisced, quotingnames of past members. This setthe stage to remind us of what homeis. He mentioned some of the singinggroups like Accord, Orion and theYouth Choir, which moved many inthe congregation to remember ‘howit was’. Pastor DeSilva emphasisedthat we should live according toGod’s purpose, because he has aprovidence in place and we shouldeach ask him to give us the passionto do his will.

The afternoon programme began

with snippets of history, as Hollowayis now in its 81st year. The rest ofthe programme was a medley ofmusical renditions interspersed withpsalms of praise. The presentationsincluded items from friends anddaughters of Holloway.

In his acknowledgement TonyBest recalled the happy times hespent growing up in Hollowaychurch. This created an imprompturendition by the still youthful youth

choir of yesteryear after Pastor CecilPerry had given his sermonette,reminding us that when everythingelse appears to fail the Lord speaks.The youth choir’s item could wellhave been the finale, as they sang, ‘Ishall wear a crown when it’s allover’, but they gave way to the AllLondon Male Choir who concludedthe evening by singing ‘RedemptionDraweth Nigh’. This was a day wellspent at ‘home’. R. MARKHAM

The adage that ‘armies march ontheir stomachs’ was not neglected.The Christian soldiers present weretreated to a multi-cultural fellowshiplunch, further enhancing the day’spalpable ‘feel good’ atmosphere. Asone member observed, ‘The dayexemplified the global reach of ourpassion for Jesus Christ.’ JOHN WILBY

Train up a childFor two weeks in a row Wednesfieldchurch has been blessed by theministry of its youth. The leaders oftomorrow have made their debut andhave stood up to be counted.

Youth Day was held on Sabbath 7June and our Youth leader, 17-year-old Chrystal Coleman, led out. Herco-ordinating and guidance wereonly visible to those who knew howmuch hard work she had put in dur-ing the months leading up to theday. The outreach message was pre-sented by 22-year-old Alicia Ffrenchof the Norbury church in London,and the Wednesfield youth choirministered in song.

On Sabbath 14 June, 18-year-oldSam Walters offered a timely mes-sage based on the story of blindBartimaeus, illustrating that, likeBartimaeus, we are spiritually blindand in desperate need of Christ’smercy. He gave a hilarious but point-ed personal testimony, reminding usthat if we take life’s problems intoour own hands we can only makethings worse, but our kind and merciful Father in Heaven knows a million ways to solve a problemwhen we cannot think of just one.JO FISHER

11 Messenger

‘Matthew Lombart is the youngestperson ever to have completed aVolunteer Lay Chaplain certificate forthe East Kent NHS Trust,’ statedRevd Dr Paul Kirby, head of SpiritualCare and Services for the trust. Hewas introducing over twenty-fouradult and mature ministers and pro-fessionals in a special commission-ing service in the chapel of theFranciscan Study Centre inCanterbury on Wednesday evening,25 June.

The service was conducted in apacked chapel of seasoned Anglicanchaplains, Christian ministers andlay people. Leaders of variouschurch denominations were invitedto participate and congratulate eachnewly authorised volunteer lay chap-lain. Matthew requested his uncle,Pastor Claude Lombart of theCambridge and Bury St Edmundschurches, to accompany him andrepresent his church.

Revd Dr Kirby introducedMatthew and Claude to the event’spreacher, the Archdeacon ofCanterbury, Ven Sheila Watson. She

reminded Matthew of her visit to himin hospital when he was seriously ill,stating, ‘The fact that you have your-self experienced what it is like to bea patient will make you a better andstronger chaplain.’

Twenty-year-old Matthew addschaplaincy to the service he givesthe Lord in music and preaching. Heproduced his first easy listeninggospel music CD in 2003, and thenwent on to become the youngestperson to complete the SEC Lay

Preacher’s course the following year.He has helped raise over £6,000 inconcerts for various charities. He isa final year student of psychology atCanterbury University.

He says, ‘My priority in life is toserve God, and while I am doing it Iam having fun. Moreover, I like mychurch and want to raise its profilein the community.’

Matthew is certainly achievinghis goal in life, and to God be all theglory.

Glasgow celebrates unity in diversityWhat’s colourful, comes in nearly thirty varieties and speaks volumes for theGospel message? Those present at Glasgow church’s International andVisitors’ Day on 26 July found the answer in a packed programme of study,worship, praise and fellowship.

A common theme emerged. Martin Pearson’s imaginative presentation of the week’s study of Jesus, Pastor Clifford Herman’s sermon on the divineorigins of cultural diversity and the range of national narratives and songs,reminded us of God’s purpose for the whole of mankind and how individualspiritual gifts can be brought to bear in his service.

The day was not without its humour – all with underlying messages. Itranged from claims and counter-claims about which country was ‘at the heartof Africa’ to an ‘Arab visitor’ claiming our common origins from the seed ofAbraham who was quickly unmasked as the church clerk!

‘Last Sunday was amazing!’ That wasone of the favourite comments usedto describe the Wimbledon BetterHealth Fair. The event was the brain-child of Dr Adam Ibrahim, who hasrecently joined the WimbledonInternational SDA church. Enthusiasmfor the event was reflected in thenumber of church members who par-

ticipated – at least a third. Watchingeveryone busy ministering with thespiritual gifts God had given themwas the first amazing part of the day.

The second amazing thing was theway in which attendees were wel-comed. Balloons were festooned onthe street outside and they led all theway to the reception desk. This

proved an effective way of drawing inthe crowds, both local residents andshoppers.

The reaction from the communitywas also amazing. There were ninety-one first-time visitors to the church.One lady mentioned to one of ourdoctors that she passes the churchall the time and has often wished shecould enter and join in the singing butwas reluctant to do so as she knewno one there. We hope to see her worshipping here with her mother inthe near future. A young man fromCroatia agreed to enrol in a StopSmoking course. Three homeless menwere welcomed and fed. Many elderlyladies said they felt rejuvenated bythe Pilates session.

We were delighted when one ofthe attendees, a man in his sixtieswho had spent the whole day with usand with whom we had developed agreat relationship, entered the prizedraw and won first prize. We trustthat the blender and book he receivedwill remind him of us.

The day was an amazing successand we hope and pray that the ninetyplus people will be impressed toreturn some time soon to give us theopportunity of ministering to themagain. SAM NEVES

SuddendecisionTwo children and eight adults said‘yes’ to Jesus on sunny Sabbath 3May. Initially, eight people were to bebaptised, but when young WilliamLawes, not yet 11 years old, heardPastor Kirk Thomas’s presentation,he made up his mind that he wouldbe baptised there and then. Hismother had no idea of his intentionuntil she was approached for herpermission.

While first elder Keith Allen con-gratulated the candidates on theirpublic commitment which testifiedthat they were through with selfish-ness and all the trappings of theworld, Pastor Kirk Thomas remindedthe congregation and the candidatesthat the one thing that gives us lifeeternal is our spiritual birthday,rather than our natural one.

The baptised were voted in asmembers of Willesden church, affec-tionately congratulated and wel-comed while hymns were sung.

The candidates were: Carlos S.Das Neves, Naomi Drysdale, HubertDunn, Doreen Joseph, AnitaKabambe, Lloyd George Paul, PaulaMathurin, Pancheta Sheay, WilliamLawes and Beck Johnson.MICHELLE OBAKENG

10 Messenger

Wimbledon Better Health Fair

Children’s Church at GloucesterThe Gloucester church Children’s Ministries team has introduced

Children’s Church; this is held on the first Sabbath of the month bar-ring any other church commitments. It is held in the youth hall after

Sabbath School and is designed for children aged 0-14.The Children’s Ministries team appreciates that, apart from the fifteen-

minute slot allocated for the children’s story during divine service, every-thing else in divine service is targeted at the adults.

Children’s Church, however, is geared totally for the kids. The leader,Fiona Fishley, explains that her motivation for running this is her aware-ness that children are the future, and the joy on the children’s faces whenthey realise that it’s time for Children’s Church is another bonus. In fact,throughout the month they keep asking, ‘When is Children’s Church?’

The team have designed it to be a mix of the formal and the informal.The formal part, like the main church service, comprises Scripture read-ing, offering and prayer and a short sermon. The informal part is the activ-ity time, but this, too, is designed to reflect the sermon. It is the practicalaspect which helps to drive the sermon home.

Children’s Church has become a witnessing tool because the childreninvite their non-Adventist friends, and the team ensures that the visitorsgo away with mementos such as children’s gospel CDs.ANGELA CONNICK

Gloucester PathfindersOn the morning of Sabbath 12 July the Gloucester Pathfinder and

Adventurer club held their long awaited investiture. After a numberof postponements, eight Pathfinders and three Adventurers were

rewarded for completing their courses and honours.The club has attracted a number of young people from the community

who will be ready for a special investiture planned at the end of the year.They have joined the club as a result of being invited by our Pathfindersand Adventurers, who together have worked very hard over the last year.We are very pleased with this outcome, as it is a reflection of the dedication of the staff, some of whom joined the team recently, namely, Charlene Cranfield and Albert Gardiner.

Our speaker for the day was area coordinator Pam Catchpole, who alsopresided over the investiture. Pam presented a talk on the fruits of theSpirit and, with some help, managed to make a chocolate cake during herpresentation.

We are very pleased with the way the club has grown and developedover the years with parents providing valuable support. Gloucester has along history of Pathfinders, going back to the early eighties when the clubwas twice the size. We aim to continue preparing our youth to survive therigours of this world, while preparing them for the world to come.

We had the pleasure of sharing the day with members of the BristolPathfinder club who joined us for lunch. This was followed be AYS whichwas taken by the Pathfinders/Adventurers who showcased their new-found skills and abilities.ANGELA CONNICK

First Adventist Youth Volunteer NHS Chaplainby Claude Lombart

A retreat for the Community, Healthand Women’s Ministries teams,conducted by SEC’s Malika Bediakoand Elsie Staple, was held in Area 2during the weekend of 25-27 Apriland was hosted by the Gloucesterchurch.

It started with prayers on Fridaynight with a table of oil and waterrepresenting cleansing and healing;another table with stones to build analtar of forgiveness; and the lasttable with a scroll where peoplecould trace their hands (representingJesus’ hands) and fill in the namesof those they want to see saved inthe Kingdom.

Sabbath morning was aboutpraise, worship and preaching,based on the theme for the weekend‘Reach out and Touch’. The sermonwas based on the woman with theissue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22).

‘Reach out and touch’by Angela Connick

Sabbath afternoon was aboutmore praise and worship with theyoung people getting involved, andteaching by Sister Staple. The sub-ject of the talk was what the churchcould do in the community. Sheemphasised that we as the churchreflect the community and that wecould effectively help in communitydevelopment by identifying what thecommunity needs from us by askingthem, and, more importantly, byleaning on Jesus.

The closing programme onSunday kicked off with an ‘Edenic’breakfast consisting of fruits andnuts, and continued with a presen-tation on funding, departmentalworkshops and questions and sharing.

All in all, it was a blessed week-end which was thoroughly enjoyedby all who attended.

Holloway: A great day at ‘home’

Congratulations to Charlene Picart of ManchesterSouth on gaining a first class degreefrom University College of The CreativeArts in Textile Design. May God contin-ue to bless your future career path.JANICE SAVIZON

to Hannah Patrick of Barnsley who hasgraduated with First Class Honours inClassics from Newcastle University.EDITOR

to Pastor Marcel Ghioalda. On Sunday 6July the degree of MA in Theology inYouth Ministry was conferred on PastorGhioalda at the Newbold College graduation service.

This brings to completion severalyears of part-time studies which Marcelhas carried out alongside his work asthe Dundee pastor and Mission Youthsponsor. Congratulations Marcel!JOHN WILBY

Editor: Are there more of our youngpeople who have graduated this summer? Let’s hear about them.

12 Messenger

Isaiah wrote, ‘All your children shall be taught bythe LORD’. (Isaiah 54:13.) On theMiddlesbrough Adventurer Day on Sabbath 7

June, the children shared what they have beenlearning in a very positive way – and did someteaching themselves!

Four Adventurers with bold clear voices presented the family service message: There ishope for the sinner. They were helped by membersreading passages of Scripture from the floor.These budding preachers, Farirai Chikengezha,Ceira Hamilton-Johansson, Wignii Mtopo andIsabel Dirahu, are in the Builder and Helping Hand class.

The children’s story for the day asked the chil-dren what they thought the word ‘treasure’ meant.The answers varied from ‘chocolates’ to ‘some-thing shiny’ to ‘diamonds’. We were reminded byKaren Ham-Ying, the storyteller, that in Jesus’ eyesearthly treasures do not last. They may rust, bedestroyed or stolen. Jesus wants us to save andstore up treasures in Heaven. How? By becomingmore like Jesus, and, as one child answered, by

praying. The children were asked to look into asmall treasure chest to see something which wasa very special treasure: they saw themselvesreflected in the bottom of the box! We werereminded of the words recorded by Matthew:‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will bealso’. (Matthew 6:21.)

It is because our parents want to develop their‘treasures in Heaven’ and encourage their childrento follow Jesus that this day was organised. It wasalso to give the children a chance to invite friendsand their parents to see what Adventurers is allabout, so that friends may choose to join, too.

After a pot luck dinner the varied afternoonprogramme followed with the Eager Beavers vigor-ously rowing ‘Jonah’ in the boat amid the noise ofthe storm. Edward Kunonga was the kind ‘whale’sent to rescue Jonah when he was tossed into thestormy waters. Farisai Chikengezha made a veryeager Zacchaeus, with the Busy Bee and Sunbeamgroup, climbing up the sycamore tree - a leafyladder - to get a glimpse of Jesus. We then had avisit from a ‘Builder’ with her hard hat on display-ing the message ‘Jesus Saves’. She carried aspade for digging good foundations on the Word ofGod, and explained the different building blocks inher course. The Helping Hand group told us aboutthe different Bible characters they have learntabout – including Daniel, David, Abraham, Noahand Moses.

Thanks were given to Arnold Mtopo, Adventurerleader, and his team – Charity Chikengezha, KarenHam-Ying, Rosemary West, Edward Kunonga, Carol Khumalo, Chris Dube and Robert and RuthMhlanga – working with upwards of twenty children, for their enthusiasm in encouraging us to invest our hearts and time in the children – treasures in the church of today! ROSEMARY WEST

Evan Rees’s baptism‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, forit is the power of God to salvation for everyonewho believes. . . .’ So wrote the apostle Paul to thebelievers in Rome (Romans 1:16), and so agreedEvan Rees at his baptism in Grantham church onSabbath 21 June. With many young men andwomen under pressure these days to have nothingto do with things spiritual, Evan ignored that coer-cion and instead acted on a conviction that hadcome to him earlier in the year that he should dosomething about his relationship with the LordJesus.PASTOR J. FERGUSON

GBK baptismOn Sabbath 19 July Joe and DawnHiggins witnessed a joyous occasion.Their daughter Jenai was welcomedwith the right hand of fellowship tothe Great Brickkiln Street church,Wolverhampton, as a new member.Jenai is active in the Pathfinder teamand often participates in the chil-dren’s choir. She demonstrated herlove, duty and commitment to Christby being baptised on Sabbath 12July. We trust that God will directand use Jenai in a mighty way.DELVA CAMPBELL

GBK Pathfinder FunDayOn 14 June the Pathfinder team atGBK staged a pleasant and enjoy-

13 Messenger

Middlesbrough Adventurer Day

Ken Burton in the DeepSouthSabbath 21 June, Midsummer’s Day, was a won-derful celebration of music and thanksgiving in theBrighton and Hove church.

The visiting speaker, Pastor Paul Tompkinsfrom the TED, presented our theme for the day:‘Jesus Our Hope’. He urged our youth to be activein their Christian witness, encouraging participa-tion on the field rather than spectator passivity onthe terraces.

Ken Burton brought the spiritual vitality andpolished performance of the London AdventistChorale to the ‘deep south’ to enrich our worship.

The hymn ‘We Have This Hope’ thundered outof the imposing pipes as Ken played. It was amoving and memorable moment.

Congregational singing was led by John Wilsonand his group Cantabri, offering an interestingcontrast in style and mood.

A hot meal, fellowship and laughter added toan inspirational day to linger long in the memory.COMMUNICATION SECRETARY

Dawn Higgins with daughter Jenai

Pastor John Ferguson baptises Evan, while his father ChrisRees looks on

Investiture day at Leicester ‘Heaven-bound Kids’ was the themefor the Pathfinder, Adventurer andEager Beaver investiture day held atLeicester on 21 June. A filled churchwitnessed thirty-five children andyoung people proudly being investedand charged by Pastor TrevorThomas to consider the seriousnessof what their PAEB insignia repre-sents, as well as being the bestexamples they can be. The Heaven-bound kids, in the form of LeicesterCentral’s PAEB club, stopped at a

Children enjoying the bouncy castle at the GBK Pathfinder Fun Day

variety of stations from SabbathSchool through to divine service topick up more passengers. A highlightof the journey was the sermonettedelivered by 11-year-old DavidBanda entitled ‘Heaven is for Kids’.David reminded us all how we needto become like children to enter intothe Kingdom of Heaven, how ourbodies will be youthful and changedwhen we get there, and how we can-not even begin to imagine some ofthe wonderful things God has instore for each of us.DENISE WILLIAMS

Basildon church visits nursinghome On Sabbath 24 May, members of Basildon church paid a visit to GhyllGrove Nursing Home in Basildon.

The smiling nursing home staff were already at the car park waitingwhen church members arrived. We were taken to a lounge where residentshad been gathered.

We introduced ourselves as Basildon church members who had simplycome to sing and chat with them because we care. Our voices were somelodious that there was no need for us to use our singing group, ‘TheLoving Arms’, which was on standby to throw in special items if needed.We sang songs from the church hymnal and, interestingly, some residentswere singing along and even making their own choices.

The most emotional moment was when we paused for a while and tooksome time to interact with the residents. Quite a few of them had verytouching stories, and this was a reminder of how important it is to under-stand the spiritual and social needs of the elderly and work out how wecan effectively help them.

After our closing prayer, the supervisor said she felt indebted to us.She opened the door to us and invited us to visit any time we wanted.

Ghyll Grove Nursing Home has a capacity for 150 residents. We arenow planning to visit the home once every month.WILLIAM GOLOZERA

able event. On show were creativeskills and artwork demonstrated byyoung people. Numerous stalls andworkshops provided a variety ofitems to sell, including religiousbooks, vegetarian foods and softdrinks. Passers-by in the localityhomed in on the opportunity. Thosewho wished to chill out attended thearomatherapy area where they werewell pampered. Others took theiryoung to the bouncy castle on site.

Background rhythmic religiousmusic enhanced the theme of the

day. A sponsored walk proved a pop-ular activity. One of the highlights ofthe event was a workshop projectintroduced by the community policeteam. They offered advice, especiallyto the youth, on how to be safe, andgave practical guides to crime prevention.

The gathering proved to be a verysuccessful Pathfinder Fun Day, wellattended by friends, church mem-bers and guests from the local community.DELVA CAMPBELL

14 Messenger

Herbert was born in1910 in Plymouth, themiddle son of Herbert

and Edith Crocker. His oldersister was Audrey (later MrsFrank Mills) and his youngerbrother was Harold. When his

father retired from his career in the Navy hebought a small market garden near Plymouth. Itwas there that Herbert, at a very early age, beganto help his father with the work of growing veg-etables for sale in Plymouth. Herbert worked forhis father from leaving school until his mid-twenties. Herbert’s grandmother had been leftwith eleven children when her husband hadbeen lost at sea. Gran Crocker, together withsome of her children, accepted the Advent mes-sage. Herbert’s mother, inspired by her mother-in-law’s life, was baptised in 1917. Sadly, Herbert’sfather opposed her stand and they parted.Herbert chose to follow his mother and was bap-tised in 1926. Baptised at the same time wasEileen Stacey. Herbert and Eileen, together withsome of Herbert’s cousins, took an active part inthe life of the Plymouth church. Romance blos-somed and Herbert married Eileen in 1934. Thefollowing year Donald was born. In 1938 thefamily moved to Newbold Revel where Herberttook on the job as head gardener. There theirdaughter Greta was born. They moved to Binfieldwith the College where Herbert continued to de-velop the gardens, growing fruit and vegetablesto supply the College kitchens. Two years later healso took on the management of the farm and itssmall herd of cows. The gardens and farm were asource of employment for the students and so

Herbert had a close association with many stu-dents over the years. Many found a needed andwelcome refuge on the gardens and farm withHerbert acting as an unofficial counsellor andfriend. Herbert and Eileen’s home was a sourceof comfort to many a homesick student.Herbert’s wisdom and common sense benefitedmany students over the course of twenty-threeyears. After leaving Newbold, Herbert andEileen worked for a wealthy Berkshirelandowner. Due to a recurring back injury,lighter work was sought. Herbert and Eileentook on the duties of caretakers for a primaryschool in Maidenhead, where they workeduntil they retired. The school was often used toshow other caretakers how a school should bemaintained. Shortly after they retired theywent to live in Leeds with their daughter andher family. Here Herbert enjoyed a close associ-ation with the family for twenty years. Hismother Edith spent the last two of her 105years in the same house and three years laterEileen died there as well. On the retirement ofBruce and Greta from their business, Bruce,Greta and Herbert came to live in Watford.There Herbert met and married Myrtle Hydeand they enjoyed four happy years togetherbefore Myrtle died. Due to his lack of sightHerbert moved into a residential home but hestill continued to worship at Stanborough Parkchurch until the beginning of this year. As hishealth deteriorated he was cared for wonder-fully by the Fletcher family in their residentialhome where he died. The funeral service wasconducted by Pastor Roy Burgess (one of hisCollege boys), assisted by Pastor Ian Sleeman.

Pastor Maurice Musgrave painted a beautifulpicture of a thoughtful and caring man nowresting and waiting for our Lord’s return. He will be greatly missed by his family, grandchildren and friends.

Donald, Greta and their families would like to thankthe many friends and church members for their messages of love, support and prayers.

15 Messenger

Ken Elias was born on 27 January 1916 atSouthport in Lancashire. He was raisedin an Adventist family and was educatedin Perth and at Woodside Secondary

School in Glasgow. He left school with the ScottishHigher Leaving Certificate.

Not long after Ken’s birth, his father wascalled to serve in the British Army in WorldWar One. As an Adventist he joined the Non-Combatant Corps. He was posted to NorthernIreland. In common with many Adventists whoserved as non-combatants in the 1914-1918war, Father Elias fell foul of the military au-thorities by refusing to do non-essential workon Sabbath. He was court-martialled for refus-ing to obey a direct order and sentenced to beshot at dawn some days later. Earnest prayersascended, and the sentence was never carriedout. Private Elias was not only released fromprison, but allowed to have his Sabbaths freefrom that week onwards.

Back home in Scotland young Ken washaving health problems. In those days beforeantibiotics, pneumonia and meningitis werekillers. Ken’s mother was convinced that the fact that he survived them was down toanswered prayer.

Ken’s route to his primary school in Perthtook him across the main Dunkeld road. Aspeeding car rushed towards him – eightyyears on Ken could still recall the terror. Ken’s next recollection was standing on thepavement. That began a life-long belief in hisguardian angel.

Along with his parents and siblings, Kenwent to church regularly. At 13, by his own re-quest, he was baptised. At 17, in 1933, Ken en-rolled at Newbold Missionary College. He hadonly a few pounds his parents had given himtowards his ministerial training. For his firstyear he worked in the college garden for 6d(2½p) an hour.

Pastor Lamont Murdoch introduced Ken tohis future wife during a college vacation inScotland. Nan was a teenager who knew littleof Adventist ways, but who had applied toNewbold. Pastor Murdoch wanted Ken tosmooth her way at the college. ‘That introduc-tion resulted in us spending our lives together,’Ken told me. Nan’s Newbold experience waspunctuated by a major health crisis when aminor operation went wrong. At Ken’s request,Pastor E. D. Dick’s graduation sermon was in-terrupted at Newbold. The whole congregationengaged in earnest prayer on Nan’s behalf. Atthe actual time of the prayer, Nan’s bleedingstopped. She made a complete recovery.

Ken graduated in 1937. He began ministry

as assistant to W. R. A. Madgewick in evangel-ism at Rotherham in Yorkshire. His job was to visit on a weekly basis those who were attending the evangelistic meetings.

January 1940 found Ken beginning his ownevangelistic campaign in Stoke-on-Trent. Kenwas planning to marry Nan. Church policy dictated that a young minister must wait twofull years before getting married. To marry Nan a week before Christmas 1939 (six weeksbefore the two years had elapsed) permissionhad to be granted by the NEC Executive! The£5 to pay for the wedding came as an answerto prayer.

Money was a major problem in wartimeBritain, especially when it came to finding andfurnishing a home. Chairs and floor coveringwere bought on hire purchase; ‘I rememberwalking out of that showroom after a contractfor £50 had been signed, feeling I was carrying the national debt on my shoulders!’Ken recalled.

In due time God blessed Ken and Nan witha fine family. There were three sons – Dalbert,Lindsay and Michael, who were to becomepastors – and daughter Judy who was to become a pastor’s wife.

Ken was ordained on 20 October 1948.Throughout his ministry he prioritised evangelism. There were seventeen moves and,following Stoke, included Wolverhampton,Liverpool, Southport, Bolton, Sheffield,Leicester, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham,Grantham and Edinburgh.

In 1953 Ken was a member of the team that assisted George Vandeman in London. Ken immediately took the vision of citywideevangelism to Sheffield where the result wasthe establishment of the church in CarterKnowle Road.

Pastor O. M. Dorland called him to evange-lise in Belfast. At the close of the thrilling campaign conducted there, sixty precious people were baptised. Subsequently Ken was elected president of the Irish Mission.

The presidency of the Welsh Mission washis next office, followed by the presidency ofthe North England Conference. During thistime the Stanborough Press was in financialdifficulties following the move to Grantham.When asked to use his management skills tosecure the future of the publishing work inBritain, Ken accepted the challenge and laidthe foundations for the contribution that thePress has made in the succeeding years by negotiating a management agreement with theReview and Herald.

Next a call came to minister in America, but

instead he chose to accept the presidency of the Scottish Mission. Later he became president of the newly established NorthBritish Conference.

Retirement to Poole followed, but for severalyears Ken continued his ministry as TrustServices director for the British UnionConference.

Sadly, Nan fell asleep on 19 December 1999.Ken continued to serve the Lord until his ownfailing health required a move to Germanywhere he was cared for by Lindsay and Ullauntil his death on Sabbath 24 May.

More than once I heard Ken preach a ser-mon based on the last phrase of Genesis 6:4.He began his sermon by quoting the versefrom the gospels, ‘As it was in the days of Noah. . .’ His vision for the people of God in the lastdays was that they should be ‘heroes . . . menof renown’. Ken was such a person himself.Among Adventist church leaders in Britain, hehad the widest experience in pastoral workand evangelism before being elected to an administrative position, and his was one of the longest periods in leadership: 1956 to hisretirement as president of the North BritishConference in 1981.

Ken had a reputation for being resolute andfirm but was at the same time caring and un-derstanding. He had an unshakeable faith inGod, the pillars of the faith and the mission ofthe Church. One of the principal moulders andshapers of twentieth-century Adventism inBritain has fallen.

Ken died in Germany. His memorial service,conducted by Ian Lorek, Union president DonMcFarlane and the writer, took place on 9 Julyin the Bournemouth church where he hadspent his retirement years.

Ken leaves to mourn Lindsay, who ministersin Germany, Michael in Los Angeles, and Judyin Canada. His eldest son Dalbert predeceasedhim. Ken will be missed by his family, theirfamilies and the many whose lives he blessedthrough his long years of ministry. He lookedforward to seeing the risen Saviour who ‘livedwithin his heart’ when all who love the Lordare gathered home.

It was King David who said tohis servants, ‘Do you not knowthat a prince and a great man

has fallen this day in Israel?’ (2Samuel 3:38.) I can truly say thatfor all those who knew PastorDavid Spearing these sentimentssum up perfectly the feelings of hisfamily, fellow pastors, and membersof his congregations.

From his early teens, Davidconfessed that he wanted to growup a good man and become apastor. He also demonstrated greatcompassion for all God’s creatures,even the very tiniest of animals,

and had a special fondness andlove for little children.

Dave attended theStanborough Park SecondarySchool, and then Cassio Collegefor his A levels, and from therewent on to study for the ministryat Newbold College.

Pastor Spearing started workfor the South England Conferencein 1986 as an intern at theStanborough Park church. Hewent on to pastor successfullyseveral other churches includ-ing Canterbury, Folkestone,Chatham, Oxford, Aylesbury,

Perth and Dundee.He was ordained to the Gospel

ministry in 1993, along with col-leagues Nerval Myrie, EmmanuelOsei, David Neal, MichaelHamilton, Winsley Hector andFinbar Benjamin.

While she was working at theSouth England Conference as asecretary, Lillian Tranborg metPastor Spearing. They fell in love,and eventually got married in1995 near her home in Vellinge,Sweden. David then spent twoyears in the Scottish Mission fromAugust 1997 to August 1999 be-fore taking a spell away fromministry in Sweden. The call to bea Gospel minister was too great,so, when asked to return in 2001,he accepted gladly and took upresponsibility in Oxford and

Aylesbury, and latterly inCheltenham and Swindon.

Dave was a jovial, sensitive,caring, and loving pastor whocared deeply for those to whomhe ministered. He will be sorelymissed. He leaves behind his wifeLillian, his parents, Otti and TonySpearing, his brother Robin andsister Sylvia, along with otherfamily members.

We look forward to the resur-rection morning when sin anddeath will no longer blight ourjoy, and we will be reunited withour loved ones who have been socruelly taken away.

A memorial service for PastorSpearing will take place at theNewbold College church on 3September at 10am.

Pastor Kenneth Aubrey Elias (1916-2008) d. 24 May

A man of renownby Pastor Philip Anderson

Pastor David Spearing (1960-2008) d. 23 Juneby Pastor Sam Davis

Herbert George Crocker(1910-2008) d. 29 Juneby Greta Anscombe

How many generations of Newbold students rememberHerbert Crocker

ActivitiesDuring the week more than thirtyactivities were provided for the chil-dren. These included gentle activitiessuch as glass painting, tie dying,puppetry and sign language. Themore vigorous pursuits were abseil-ing, aerial runway, rope bridge, boxclimbing, canoeing, bungee slide,water slide, and archery. In additionto this, the young people learnt skillssuch as how to build a fire from onematch, camp cooking, pioneeringand raft building. There was a dailyexcursion to Colchester Zoo and avariety of arts and crafts, as well asdrilling and marching.

The choir activities enabled agroup of young people to deliver amessage in song each evening andon Sabbath morning.

Community outreachAs part of the week’s activities,three community outreach projectswere planned. These included tripsto local care homes, a market toraise funds for a local children’shospice and the creation of a butterfly garden for the Skreens Park campsite.

The theme for the week was‘Serve Our Saviour’. As well as visit-ing those in the care homes, theyoung people sang to them andbrought them gifts. A total of £1,612

was raised from Friday’s marketday. This money was graciouslyreceived by a representative fromLittle Haven Children’s Hospice inChelmsford.

In addition to this, eight staff vol-unteers worked the ground around a600-year-old tree to create a beauti-ful butterfly garden as part of aPathfinder conservation project. Thegarden is designed as an area oftranquillity and peace for wearycampers. In speaking to the Scoutwarden, Mick Barlow, it was agreedthat the title of the garden shouldnot only reflect Adventist values, butalso the ethos of the Pathfindermovement.

Adventist values and thePathfinder ethos were reflected inthe life of Wayne Hill, a Pathfinderco-ordinator, who tragically lost hisbattle with cancer a few years ago.Wayne lived in the Chelmsford areaand was an active member of thechurch there. It seemed only rightand fitting for the garden to benamed The Wayne Hill MemorialButterfly Garden.

Honour where honour is dueJo, wife of the late Wayne Hill,attended the closing ceremony andwas presented with a special plaqueof thanks for all the work that Waynehad done for Pathfinders in theBritish Isles.

Several other senior members ofstaff were also given awards fortheir duty to service. Des Boldeau, inconsultation with Paul Tompkins,chose individuals who had gonebeyond the call of duty for manyyears in the work of Pathfinders toreceive the diamond award. MillieWilliams, Pam and Paul Catchpole,Pat and Terry Dykoff, Valerie Clarke-Eccles, Roz Parsons, Pastor MikeToy, Warren O’Hara, Len Stewart,Alec Simon, Dr Andrew West, KenBurt, and Pastor Eglan Brooks. Inabsentia, awards were given to JonMeredith (Welsh Mission), MikeRossitor (former NEC Pathfinderdirector) and Trevor and CynthiaHarewood (SEC).

Closing ceremonyTo ensure that camporee runssmoothly, many volunteers, apartfrom club leaders, are required. Onehundred and twenty volunteersspent a week ensuring that thelogistics of the event were tight.Without their dedication it would beimpossible to run such a largecamping event, and the BUC Youthdirector acknowledged their serviceto Pathfinders.

In the closing service, awardswere also given out to each club. On a daily basis, the clubs wereinspected for safety, hygiene, tidiness, grooming and decorum.This camporee’s winner was theIlford church. Other certificates were given for fire building,

advanced drilling and archery.On Saturday night, after the clos-

ing ceremony, volunteers worked intothe night to load the van, dismantlestructures, tidy up, and clean thetoilets. On Tuesday morning, thepacking away and the returning ofequipment was still taking place.When Des and the team were askedwhy they would go through so muchhard work, they all replied, ‘It’s forthe kids! For them to have fun! Forthem to learn new skills! And, ulti-mately, for them to make decisionsto serve others and “Serve OurSaviour”.’

MessengerVolume 113 • 18 – 22 August 2008

EDITOR: D. N. MARSHALLDESIGN: DAVID BELL

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