News Archives: 2006
December 2006
NEWPORT CHURCH PLANS FOR LIFE DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Following a weekend of discussions about outreach and evangelism the Newport Seventh-day Adventist Church is planning to develop a LIFEdevelopment Centre during 2007. Initial plans include the creation of a multi-purpose café area within the existing youth hall.
"We plan to hold six Café Evenings, one every two months, annually, as the basis of an ongoing community outreach programme," says local minister Pastor Jan McKenzie. "These events will be a combination of inter-church and community resources, providing a relaxed environment for informal gatherings. Apart from these events, we will use the Centre to foster our current friendships with the two AA groups that have been meeting with us for two years, as well as the already established community youth interest, and the frequent gatherings that are drawing more un-churched friends."
The Newport church has a long history of community involvement and Pastor McKenzie himself has many personal contacts within the community. It is expected that other church members, many of whom work in the medical profession, will use their skills to help run various programmes in the LIFEdevelopment Centre.
Much refurbished and improved over the last few years, this latest development within the Newport church is mostly being funded by a generous donor.
Note that Pastor McKenzie runs his own website and blog at: <www.thejerichoroad.com>.
November 2006
CELEBRATION CONCERT AT YSTRAD MYNACH
On Saturday evening 25 November more than 100 church members, family members and friends of Pastors Brian Phillips and Richard Vine, gathered at the Ystrad Mynach church, near Caerphilly in South Wales, for a celebration concert. The concert was organised, primarily by members and minister of the Ystrad Mynach church, as a tribute to Pastors Phillips and Vine, both of whom retired from their official duties earlier this year. As a mark of their respect for their colleagues, the three administrative officers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland , Pastor Don McFarlane, Pastor Eric Lowe, and Mr Victor Pilmoor, together with the current President of the Adventist Church in Wales, Pastor John Surridge, were all present.
Pastor Brian Phillips joined the ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1989, having already had a career as an engineer. He served in the Hereford, Ystrad Mynach, Rhyl and Colwyn Bay districts before becoming the President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wales in the late 1990s. Brian's wife Joyce, who comes from a Salvation Army background, has also been very active in the church over the years as a lay preacher and leader. They have been married for 38 years and their daughter Jane currently serves as a lay preacher and administrative secretary in the church.
Pastor Richard Vine, whose Adventist heritage goes back five generations, grew up in the Adventist church. His father and two uncles were ministers. Richard himself began his ministry in 1966 in the Birmingham area but came to Wales in 1972 where he has remained ever since. His ministry has focussed in four main districts: Newport, Swansea, Shrewsbury (within the territory of the Adventist Church in Wales for administrative reasons), and Ystrad Mynach. He has been married to his wife Pam for 39 years and they have three children, Douglas, Daniel and Anna.
The concert was hosted by Mr Brian Watkins, elder of the Ystrad Mynach church and brother-in-law of Pastor Brian Phillips. The Brecon Women's Institute Singers, conducted by Peggy Mason, performed the majority of the pieces, which included some modern gospel songs and Christmas carols. Their "Song of the Hebrew Slaves" went down particularly well. As Peggy Mason pointed out it was a new venture into more operatic pieces for the choir but, judging from the applause, it won't be the last. Baritone Wynne Rees, who has performed at the church before, sang a number of favourites including "My Welsh Home" and "If I Can Help Somebody." Saxophonist Ian Mason, who is a member of the Ystrad Mynach church, performed "Myfanwy".
During the interval tributes were paid to the two retiring ministers. Pastor Don McFarlane highlighted the qualities that he had appreciated in Pastor Brian Phillips over the years, particularly his encyclopaedic knowledge of church history. Pastor Eric Lowe, who had shared a room with Pastor Richard Vine when they were at college together, shared some anecdotes from that time and also commended him for his faithful ministry in Wales .
Incoming President of the Adventist Church in Wales, Pastor John Surridge, spoke of his experience with Brian Phillips and Richard Vine when he began his ministry in the early 1980s. "When I first visited Brian in his home I expected to have a brief conversation and a prayer," he said. "Three hours later I was still sitting enthralled as he related stories about Wales, the mines, and the church in years gone by." Speaking of Richard Vine he said, "When I first stayed in his house I was struck by the quiet Christian atmosphere in the home. He and his wife and children were so hospitable and seemed so loving that I decided then and there that if ever I had a family, this was the example that I would try to follow."
Although officially retired, both Pastor Phillips and Pastor Vine are currently continuing to serve the Adventist Church in Wales, preaching regularly and carrying out numerous other duties.
PASTORS' DRUG AWARENESS TRAINING
On Tuesday, 21 November Pastor Clyde R Moore, recently appointed as Family Ministries sponsor for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wales, attended a one day conference for Drug Awareness training together with pastors, school chaplains and educators from the North and South England regions of the Adventist church. The conference was held at the Stanborough Centre in Watford and was organised by the church's Youth director Pastor Des Boldeau with support from Pastor Steve Roberts and guest presenter Su Finch, representing HOPE UK.
The conference, which was specifically designed for pastors and school chaplains, addressed issues such as: why people use illegal drugs, signs and symptoms of drug use, dangers of drug use and abuse, and drug paraphernalia, along with some case studies. Recent studies suggest that 10% of all men have been involved with some kind of drug abuse ranging from alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, to cocaine, heroin and LSD. These figures alone suggest that there is a potential drug problem amongst church members.
HOPE UK is a Christian charity focussing on the prevention of habit-forming misuse of all types of drugs, including tobacco and alcohol. You can get more information from their website at <www.hopeuk.org> or contact them by telephone on: 020 7928 0848.
A similar one-day conference is planned for Pathfinder leaders and staff on Sunday 17 December, from 9.00 am - 4.30 pm, again at the Stanborough Centre. If you are interested in registering for this course please contact Natalie Davison at the headquarters office of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Watford. Phone: 01923 672251.
Speaking after the event Pastor Moore said, "As Family Ministries sponsor I would like our members to take very seriously the issue of drug education. I want to encourage our pastors and church leaders to either become drug awareness educators or enablers - that is identifying lay people and helping to train them as educators - and equip educators with additional knowledge to be used in their 'drug education' and also for them to fellowship, worship and network."
As well as serving as Family Ministries sponsor for the Adventist Church in Wales Pastor Moore also pastors churches in Cardiff and Barry. "I know that in Cardiff we do have a drugs problem in various parts of the community," he continued. "Only last week Britain was identified as the cocaine capital of Europe. If the statistics are to be believed, then we potentially have a massive problem within our church membership. As Family Ministries and Children Ministries sponsors, both Anette [Pastor Moore's wife] and I solicit your prayers as we seek to put together a strategy for the church in 2007."
September 2006
ANSWERS IN GENESIS AT BRECON CAMP
Over the weekend of 8 to 10 September more than fifty people attended the Welsh Mission's Family Camp at Brecon. Speaker for the weekend was David Wright, a highly experienced educator and a well-known speaker on the subject of creationism. In his 'sermons' David kept young and old entertained and informed with his magic tricks and his in-depth exploration of the early part of the book of Genesis.
Making the most of the weekend's fine weather David also turned a Sabbath afternoon walk by the canal into a practical lecture - his students finding out what it was like to see through the eyes of a fly and leap through the tree canopy like a squirrel. Later, round a blazing campfire, David took time to talk individually with those who were particularly interested in the things he had to say.
One of David's talks, based on John Woodmorappe's book, "Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study", captured everyone's imagination. While many dismiss as mere fantasy the idea of Noah's Ark being able to preserve the world's gene-base, it can actually be shown to be quite a reasonable proposition. Those wondering about how Noah and his family provided all the food and water for the animals, not to mention how they dealt with the waste, will either have to read Woodmorappe's book or listen to David Wright at his next lecture venue.
Although not as large as the highly popular Spring Brecon Camp, the September camp provides an excellent opportunity for fellowship and family-style worship for members in the Welsh Mission and their friends from further afield. Sitting in a marquee, singing to accompaniment from trumpet, clarinet, flute, child-assisted timpani, and the lowing of cattle from the nearby cowshed, may not be everyone's idea of a perfect worship service, but for quite a few it is the next best thing to heaven.
Note: Those wishing to pursue the subject of creationism may like to start by visiting the Answers in Genesis website at: www.answersingenesis.org.
July 2006
NEW PRESIDENT APPOINTED FOR SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN WALES
At the British Union Conference Session which was held in York in July 2006 a new president was elected for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wales. Formerly serving as Communication director at the Church's headquarters in Watford Pastor John Surridge replaces Dr Brian Phillips who will be retiring later this year.