A Conversation With General Conference President Jan Paulsen

March 11, 2004
World Edition
A conversation with General Conference president Jan Paulsen

LETTERS
Sow 1 Billion they’re hard to find. I am writing in response to the
As I read about all the work we are Also, it would be a great help to article “Radical Christianity.” It was a
doing in other countries (Bettina include some instructions about how well-written article, and highlights a
Krause, “Sow 1 to get them to people. problem that really shouldn’t exist
Billion,” Jan. 8), the among our people: the lack of a vision
question comes to —B. J. Gheen or purpose for the church. Our pio-
mind: What about WA L D O R F, M A R Y L A N D neers would be appalled. We should be
our own United also.
States of America? Sow 1 Billion Bible study invitations and Jesus said, “Go ye into the world,
Who’s out on the updates about the Sow 1 Billion initiative and preach the gospel to every crea-
streets telling bikers, are available at the Adventist Review Web ture” (Mark 16:15). That sounds like
teenagers, young adults, the homeless, site: www.adventistreview.org/2004-1502/ a mission to me. Paul calls the gospel
and yes, even the drunks sleeping in story6.html. For pamphlets to distribute in “the power of God unto salvation”
cardboard boxes about Jesus? North America contact Seminars Unlimited (Rom. 1:16). He goes on to say
My husband and I are one couple (1-800-482-3344 or 1-817-641-3643). “therein is the righteousness of God
out there. We ask questions: Do you revealed” (verse 17). And Paul warns
know Jesus? Are you saved? Most peo- of those who have “a form of god-
ple answer, “No.” But they want to Radical Christianity liness, but denying the power thereof”
learn more. I read Skip Bell’s article “Radical (2 Tim. 3:5). Could that apply to us?
This week my husband told me he Christianity” with a great deal of inter- Of course Christ is the power of God,
was talking to a young man at work who est. I observed how Bell tried to fish an and so is the cross (1 Cor. 1:24, 18).
thought he was going to hell because of answer from a number of young people I should probably say the preaching of
his sins. The young man never knew regarding the cause and the purpose of the cross is, because Jesus said, “I, if
what Jesus did for us. Can you imagine? the Advent movement in this world. I be lifted up from the earth, will draw
The young man came to him the next Some of the answers, “Be nice”; “Share all men unto me” (John 12:32). We
day and said, “Thank you.” the gospel”; “Endure to the end,” etc., are told that Adventists should be
We pray daily that the Holy Spirit seem to be leaning on behaviorism. foremost in lifting up Jesus.
can touch these lives and change What I understand and preached all What we need is the true gospel as
them; please pray with us. We have my life was and is Revelation 14:6-12. was presented in 1889 that brought the
planted many seeds for the Lord, and In my opinion, here we find our identity power of God into our churches and
quite often people come back and as a movement, the purpose for our exis- camp meetings. See the descriptions in
want to learn more. Praise the Lord! tence, and our mission in this world. the Review and Herald articles of that
The “everlasting gospel”—the good year on pages 377, 286, 319, 325, and
—“Norene” news, properly understood and preached 329. We need this power today!
B E RW I C K , M A I N E to the whole world. In this gospel is the
power of God unto salvation. Able to —Norwood Smith
Please tell me where I can get a transform sinners into saints is Jesus GEO RGETOWN, TENNESSEE
copy of the Sow 1 Billion pamphlets Christ and Him crucified. By beholding
I’ve been reading about. It seems as if Him daily, sinners are changed “from
it would be simple to include them in glory to glory” by the Spirit of God. The Beatitudes Project
the Review so everyone who wants to I greatly appreciated this past fall’s
copy them can just print them. I’ve —Jeremia Florea, retired pastor (2003) special issue “The Beatitudes
looked for them, and if they’re there, SPRING LAKE, MICHIGAN Project.” Most of the inspiring articles
2 (370) A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W, M A R C H 1 1 , 2 0 0 4
were written by persons who don’t get tioned much in our church. I will try
published very often in church publi- to be more aware of these issues. But I
cations. Kimberly Luste Maran did an have one concern. In the sidebar
excellent job of finding these capable among all the items that are truly
writers and putting this special issue issues, this one crept in: “animal test-
together. I always enjoy articles, ser- ing.” On this issue, are we buying into COVER STORY
mons, and books on any part of the the idea that all life on planet Earth is 8 Evangelism and Mission:
Sermon on the Mount. of equal value? An Interview With Jan
All products are eventually tested Paulsen
—Bill Murrill on humans. Would we rather it first be We rejoice when we hear reports of
thousands being baptized. The next
D E LT O N A , F L O R I D A a monkey—or a human created in the step: discipleship.
image of God? I believe we should
In the special Review issue on the treat animals humanely and not use
Beatitudes there was an article written animal testing more than necessary, ARTICLES
by Ansel Oliver entitled “Me? Meek?” but many advances have been made 14 Baruch’s Answer
I was shocked and grieved by a state- through animal research. I would like Is your faith strong enough to
ment he made to Kimberly Luste to see an article on this subject from a survive life’s most perplexing
Maran about what she wanted him to biblical perspective. questions?
BY JENNIFER WILLIAMS
write. And I quote, “Take the most
profound statements of God on earth —Lee Davidson 22 Kenya on My Mind
and make light of them.” Her reply was BERRIEN SPRINGS, MICHIGAN Examples of dedication and faith
lead to self-examination.
“Yeah.” To me that is sacrilegious.
BY HOMER TRECARTIN
Needless to say, I did not read all of
the article. 26 A Stranger and a Friend
An impromptu friendship shines a
God is particular, and we should
spotlight on religious freedom.
reverence Him and His Word and not BY VIOLA HUGHES
make light of them. I think this is About the cover:
something we all as humans need to
watch. We need to think before we Theme: Different gifts, one task. DEPARTMENTS
speak or write. Left to right, top to bottom: 2 Letters
1. Picture Roll woman in
—Darleen Green Thailand ready for action. Photo: 7 Give & Take
HARRAH, OKLAHOMA Becky DeGraaff. 16 The View From Here
2. Man holds Bible, the major 17 Tuesday’s Child
I am truly sorry if you, and any other inspiration for evangelism and
readers, were offended by those few lines. mission, during Adventist world 18 World News & Perspectives
And while Mr. Oliver’s conversation with church meeting in Nairobi, 29 Bible Questions Answered
me did take on a “lighthearted” tone, Kenya. Photo: Athal Tolhurst. 30 Adventist World Radio
there was no disrespect intended, espe- 3. AWR announcer in action in
cially toward our Savior—it is unfortu- Costa Rica. Photo: Jennifer 31 Reflections
nate if the words used imply that in any Barizo.
MODIFIED
way. As the coordinating editor for that 4. The pastor begins “the
EDITORIALS
issue I take full responsibility, and I apolo- count” of offering collected for © P H O T O D I S C / D I G I T A L LY
gize—the article was not intended to be mission during a Perth, Australia, 5 Evangelism: Then
glib or to slight the important lessons Jesus camp meeting. Photo: Athal
and Now
gave us in the Beatitudes. Thank you for Tolhurst. 6 You Can Do Something
your comments.—Kimberly Luste 5. At an Adventist bakery in
to Make It Happen
Maran. Mexico an Adventist woman
makes bread for the needy. NEXT WEEK
BACKGROUND PHOTO
I was blessed by “The Beatitudes Photo: Global Mission.

Project” special issue. The article “The 6. Brazilian woman runs secu- Whom Can I Depend On?
Young Adam thought his mom would be
Consuming Fire,” by Lauren Schwarz, rity at Pathfinder camporee in with him forever. Then she died.
was excellent. I believe the issues there Germany. Photo: Ludi Leito.
are very relevant to our time. It is
COVER
something that has not been men-
A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W, M A R C H 1 1 , 2 0 0 4 (371) 3
“Behold, I come quickly . . .”
Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ through stories of
His matchless love, news of His present workings, help
for knowing Him better, and hope in His soon return.
Publisher General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Executive Publisher William G. Johnsson
Publishing Board: Jan Paulsen, chair; Ted N. C. Wilson,

vice chair; William G. Johnsson, secretary; Armando
Miranda, Steven Rose, Charles C. Sandefur, Don C.
Schneider, Robert S. Smith, Ardis Stenbakken; Robert
W. Nixon, legal advisor
Editor William G. Johnsson

Associate Editors Roy Adams, Bill Knott
Managing Editor Stephen Chavez
News and Online Editor Carlos Medley
Assistant Editors Kimberly Luste Maran,
Bonita Joyner Shields
Editorial Assistant Ruth Wright
Technology Projects Coordinator Merle Poirier
Project Coordinator Chitra Barnabas
Administrative Secretary
Marketing Director Jackie Ordelheide Smith
Art Direction and Design Bill Kirstein, Bill Tymeson
Desktop Technician Fred Wuerstlin
Ad Sales Genia Blumenberg
Subscriber Services Steve Hanson
Consulting Editors: Jan Paulsen, Matthew Bediako,

Lowell C. Cooper, Gerry D. Karst, Armando Miranda,
Robert E. Lemon, Michael L. Ryan, Don C. Schneider,
Ted N. C. Wilson, Eugene King Yi Hsu
Special Contributors: Luka T. Daniel, Laurie J. Evans,
Ulrich Frikart, Alberto C. Gulfan, Jr., Jairyong Lee, Israel
Leito, Geoffrey Mbwana, Pardon Mwansa, Ruy H. Nagel,
Artur A. Stele, D. Ronald Watts, Bertil Wiklander
To Writers: We welcome unsolicited manuscripts. (Please
query before submitting long articles.) Include address,
telephone number, and Social Security number, where
available. Address all editorial correspondence to 12501
Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600.
Editorial office fax number: (301) 680-6638.
E-mail: Internet: [email protected]
Web site: www.adventistreview.org
Subscriptions: Twelve monthly issues: US$18.95 plus
US$12.00 postage outside North America; 40 issues of the
weekly Adventist Review, US$42.95 plus US$12.00 postage
outside North America; full 52 issues (weekly and monthly),
US$61.90 plus US$24.00 postage outside North America.
Single copy US$3.25. To order, send your name, address,
and payment to your local Adventist Book Center or
Adventist Review Subscription Desk, Box 1119, Hagerstown,
MD 21741-1119. Prices subject to change.
For changes of address: Call l-800-456-3991, or
301-393-3257. or e-mail [email protected]
For subscription queries: Call l-800-456-3991, or
301-393-3257. or e-mail [email protected]
Postmaster: Send address changes to Adventist Review,
55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740-7301.
Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New

International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984,
International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan Bible Publishers. Texts credited to NKJV are
from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979,
1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
All rights reserved. Bible texts credited to NRSV are from
the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright
© 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
U.S.A. Used by permission.
The Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119), published since
1849, is the general paper of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. It is published by the General Conference of Seventh-
day Adventists and is printed 40 times a year each Thursday
except the first Thursday of each month by the Review and
Herald® Publishing Association. Periodicals postage paid at
Hagerstown, MD 21740. Copyright © 2004, General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

Vol. 181, No. 11
E D I T O R I A L
STEPHEN CHAVEZ
Evangelism:
Then and Now
W
e learn by doing. And our mistakes are are then encouraged to contact small (Adventist) support
often more instructional than our suc- groups in their communities, where discussions are facili-
cesses. When we’re successful we contin- tated by local members.
ually go back to the tried and true, rarely This approach is, at the same time, vastly different and
refining an idea to see if there’s a better remarkably similar to evangelism done 100 years ago. The
way to do it. But when we see diminishing returns, it’s time main difference is that people absorb information at their
to step back and reevaluate what works own pace; there’s no concentrated trans-
and what doesn’t. fer of information, as in a public lecture.
Take Adventist evangelism, for exam- People delve into topics that meet their
ple. There was a time when evangelistic
meetings lasted for six months or more. Successful needs and interests. They make personal
contact only when and if they want to.
Over that time the evangelist didn’t just The great similarity is that at some
present Adventist teachings once, but
several times; and not just Friday,
outreach boils point, when people make the transition
from electronic communication to per-
Saturday, and Wednesday evenings, but
often six or seven nights a week. Now
down to sonal interaction, real, live Christians
are needed to model Christian values.
it’s unusual for a full-blown evangelistic
series to last longer than three weeks. one thing. One of the reasons that evangelistic
meetings of yesteryear lasted so long was
Our society is constantly changing. that they gave the evangelist and local
We can no more ask people to dedicate church members time to bond with
six months of their evenings to Bible those who came out each evening. Often
lectures than we can ask them to do without electricity or pastors and members followed up the evening meetings with
running water. If we want people to hear our message, we home visits.
have to package it and present it in a way that is appealing Now people are generally less tolerant and more suspi-
and attractive, something that will make it unique. cious of those who show up on their doorstep carrying reli-
Adventists were among the first to use radio and televi- gious pamphlets. Cautious about religious indoctrination,
sion as evangelistic tools. Now most metropolitan areas have they want answers only to questions they are asking, not
religious radio and cable television offerings. Any time of information about obscure prophecies or mystical symbols.
the day or night there’s someone preaching from one elec- Successful evangelistic outreach in this age boils down to
tronic pulpit or another. one thing: the strength and vitality of the local congrega-
The Internet has evolved as a way to reach vast numbers tion. The Internet is fine for doing research, but at some
of people in a short period of time, and, most important, on point seekers are going to take the next step: personal con-
their terms. You’ve seen the ads of people working at home tact. What will they find? Will the local Adventist congre-
in their pajamas and fuzzy slippers, making airline or hotel gation model Christian graces? Is diversity celebrated? Are
reservations in their underwear, doing their banking and bill people of all ages, races, and lifestyles
paying in the middle of the night. A technology that hardly welcomed and nurtured?
existed 10 years ago has drastically changed the way people As civilization and society contin-
access information, and it only makes sense that Adventists ues to evolve, the church will have to
take advantage of it. tailor its evangelistic methods to
In the United Kingdom the Trans-European Division adapt to those changes. Not all
(TED) is experimenting with the Internet and print tech- our efforts will be successful; but
nology to reach out to an increasingly secular society. This at least we’ll have gained some
bold initiative, lifedevelopment.info, is designed to meet important experience at shar-
people where they are, with spiritual solutions to many of ing the best news ever.
life’s problems: grief, health, family life, economic security,
spiritual wholeness, etc. People who respond to the Web site
G U E S T E D I T O R I A L
HARRY SACKETT
You Can Do Something

to Make It Happen
I
f you ask me what I want more than anything else, my and I saw on the checkout belt food, clothes, and diapers for
immediate response will always be “to see Jesus come the child. Embarrassed as the cost of the items registered,
to rescue us from this sorry world.” she stopped the checkout clerk and pushed about three
As a child I heard Mother Sackett read from Early quarters of her intended purchase aside. “That’s all the
Writings the exciting description of Jesus coming. The money I have,” she said. It was obvious she needed the
little black cloud half the size of a man’s hand coming closer things she’d been forced to set aside.
and closer. Getting bigger and bigger, While she bagged the items, I
getting brighter and brighter. Eventually motioned to the cashier to include the
filling the entire sky with the glory of
Jesus. Jesus sitting on His golden throne “My live-in remaining articles on my credit card.
The mother looked up at the cashier in
surrounded by thousands of ministering confusion. “He paid,” she said. She fin-
angels. The picture is still thrilling to boyfriend ished bagging the rest of the articles
me even today. All my life I have impa- and then came back to me with tears in
tiently waited for that event. The closer
my retirement comes, the more urgent
left me today,” her eyes. “My live in boyfriend left me
today,” she said, “and that’s all the
my desire to see Jesus fulfill His promise.
I searched and researched the signs
she said, “and money I have.”
“Remember that Jesus cares about
chapters in Scripture in hopes of finding
answers, only to end in frustration. Must that’s all the you and your little girl,” I said. “This is
His gift to you. When you see a
we see the signs fulfilled in greater fre- Seventh-day Adventist church, remem-
quency and intensity? Must we witness
more wickedness surpassing the days of
money I have.” ber that they are real Christians that
care. I am one of them.” She squeezed
Noah? Must we witness more false my hand and left.
prophets lead even more to their doom? We shout, “Enough When I got home, my wife checked the printout tape of
already!” my purchases. She said, “What’s this baby food, diapers, and
We’ve studied, we’ve prayed and nothing seems to baby clothes?”
change. But then we read these two statements from Christ’s “Oops!” I said as I explained what happened that day.
Object Lessons, page 69: “It is the privilege of every Christian Why do I share this experience? Because while on earth
not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus daily performed acts of kindness and mercy, and He has
Jesus Christ.” “Christ is waiting with a longing desire for the no one but us to carry on His ministry today. Just maybe by
manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character starting with these small acts of kindness in His name, we
of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then can come to the place where He can trust us to do some big
He will come to claim them as His own.” acts of kindness—such as the one Peter performed when he
Incredible as it sounds, you and I can hasten the return of said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I
Jesus! thee: In the name of Jesus . . . rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).
How do we come to reflect the character of Christ when What a people we were destined to be! Let’s seize the
we are so far from that ideal? My study of Scripture leads me opportunity and fall on our knees begging our Lord to teach
to one conclusion: As we study God’s Word we must daily us how to really reflect His image.
focus on Jesus’ acts of kindness and mercy. Through our Want Jesus to come soon? You can do something to make
imagination we are to daily look for opportunities to demon- it happen.
strate through our own acts Jesus’ love for the hurting. What
would happen if we imitated the life of Christ daily? Harry Sackett is president of the British Columbia
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in
Watching for Opportunities Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. His article
I was in line at the superstore with my groceries. Ahead (shortened here) first appeared in the Canadian
of me was a young mother with her beautiful little daughter, Adventist Messenger, August 2003, p. 3.
ADVENTIST LIFE
GIVE
When our daughter
was just learning to say
her own prayers—
“Bless this . . . bless
TERRY CREWS
that,” etc.—my hus-
band and I would
patiently listen. Her
BY
prayers became longer
I L L U S T R AT I O N
and longer—because
& the longer she prayed,

the longer she could
TAKE
stall from going to bed.
One evening I
glanced up and saw a fly. Whispering to my husband in German, which my daugh-
ter could also speak, I said, “Get the flyswatter; there’s a fly [muck].”
Our daughter continued right on praying with her blessings, adding, “Dear
Jesus, bless the muck.” We both lost it—and she didn’t realize whom (or what!)
she had just prayed for. She is now a nurse with children of her own, but her
prayer still brings chuckles to us sometimes.
—Jehu and Delores Miller, Napoleon, North Dakota
We were staying one weekend with our 6-year-old granddaughter, Isabelle,

while her parents were away. Different games and play activities were planned,
and then Isabelle decided we should play Sabbath school in the living room. She
lined up all her dolls and also had to have their two cocker spaniel dogs present.
Isabelle played the song “Jesus Loves Me” on the piano, and then Grandma
POEM was chosen to read a story, which is usually done in Norwegian. Isabelle has been
raised with both the Norwegian and English lanugages in her home and around
Comfort us. I started to read but suddenly she interrupted. “Grandma, stop. You’d better
read the story in English,” she said, and pointed to her doll audience. “They don’t
You keep my time understand Norwegian.”
and sometimes —Inger Hoyven, Salem, Oregon
when wind is blowing
or water is falling PHOTO
I can feel it
passing with me KINDNESS HELPS
to meet You. BUILD LAB: Nine years
ago I met and befriended a
You hold my time British volunteer teacher
and I can feel seconds here in Bushenyi, Uganda.
transforming my heart Her name was Eileen Croft,
in a song and when she went back to
so I can see the U.K., we continued our
You. friendship through letters.
In 1999 her parents passed
You’re in my time away, and I received a let-
from first cry to last smile ter from Eileen that said:
and I know “My parents left me some
I will be together with inheritance money. I am sending you a bit of it because you have been so kind to
You me while I was in Bushenyi. Please use it for whatever project you have in mind.”
PHOTO © PHOTODISC
for ever. The donation she sent was equivalent to $10,000, and we used it to build this
—Esther J. Feher, Romania new laboratory training school block. More funds are needed to finish it, but it is
fully roofed and won’t fall apart, and we shall finish the building as Ugandans do,
“slowly by slowly, and room by room.”
—Leila J. Rocero, missionary in Bushenyi, Uganda
C O V E R S T O R Y
EVANGELISM? YES!
BUT ALSO MISSION
A conversation with General Conference president Jan Paulsen
“I also have wishes for the

church in regard to spirituality,
something very difficult to measure or
quantify, of course. We should mutually
accept one another, not feeling for any rea-
son that we have to measure one another.
That’s the spirit we need; that’s how it should be in
the family of God. Those are two of my wishes for the
church.”
With those preliminary remarks behind him Paulsen
The opened himself up for questions.
General Conference
has declared 2004 the Year of AR: In regard to spirituality, do you have concerns for
World Evangelism. One afternoon last December William the encroachment of the world upon the church?
Johnsson and Roy Adams (editor and associate editor, respec- JP: I have concerns for the church; the “encroachment of
tively, of the Adventist Review) sat down with Pastor Paulsen the world” is difficult to measure, for we are surrounded by
in his office to explore his thinking on evangelism, mission, and the world and, in a sense, part of it. When I speak specifi-
related issues.—Editors. cally of my concern for our spirituality as a community of
believers, I mean it in terms of our own personal lives with
M
Y WISH FOR THE CHURCH RELATES God. I mean my own development, my own prayer life, my
very closely to the church’s vision and drive, own time to commune with my Maker.
and its capacity to be what God intended it This translates into what I bring to the congregation of
to be. The church should be focused on mis- which I’m a part. Do I, in fact, bring a sense of richness in
sion. It’s not to be simply a maintenance Christ, a sense of assurance, a conviction about what I
society, a feel-good club, but an entity that has the drive, believe, a sense that this church is my church, my home? I
purpose, and vision to say, ‘This one thing we’re busy about.’ love it, and I want to be here. In other words, are these the
This kind of focus has enormous consequences, so far as the dynamics that flow from me into the life of the church? If
church’s use of resources is concerned. It has consequences they don’t, it’s a sign that something is very fundamentally
for us as administrators, who constantly must be prepared to wrong with my own personal life. And that goes immedi-
answer the question ‘Did you have clear objectives, well- ately back to my prayer life, my study life, and my fellowship
defined goals, as you made decisions for the use of the with God.
church’s funds?’ So that’s where my greater concerns are.
You’re talking about your wish list without it. If we don’t engage in mis- after themselves. They don’t just hap-
for the church, and you’ve so far sion, we are a dying community. pen. They have to be nurtured and
touched on mission and on spiritual- Growth is the most visible result of caringly looked after. I strongly believe
ity. Are there others? engagement in mission. But growth it is the responsibility of those who
I do have wishes also for the world also brings challenges with it, which, accept positions of leadership, whether
in which we’re placed. We long for the incidentally, is not a bad thing. in the local church or in an adminis-
day when the Lord will return, and it’s Challenges are as natural as life itself, trative office, to place both of these
our assignment to be busy until that opportunities that might be shaped for high on their agenda. I believe that
happens. But this is where we live; the good of the church and those who loyalty to God will be tested here.
we’re not yet in Canaan. And the are part of our community. We gather you’re making a distinc-
church must feel a responsibility to do Can you expand a little on these tion between evangelism and mission.
what it can to make this world a better challenges, as you see them? You’re saying they’re not the same
place. I think we owe it to humanity; I think that the most immediate thing.
we owe it to the children. The church challenge to a rapidly growing church Evangelism—and here I’m referring
should address and be sensitive to the is whether we are able to care for our to public evangelism—has always been
glaring needs in the world, especially members. Do they have a church or an important part of witness and out-
those needs that have no one to speak chapel in which to worship? Do they reach. Persons with that gift of the
for them. The church must never tire have competent people to look after Spirit preach to the masses; lives are
of championing a cause, however their spiritual nurture? Do they have touched; and decisions for Christ are
unpopular it becomes. If we know our schools where their children can made. That, I am confident, will con-
position is right, we shouldn’t become receive an education in a Christian tinue to be part of the church’s out-
weary speaking out, even though peo- environment? Wherever there is rapid reach ministry until the Lord returns.
ple may be weary and tired of hearing growth, these questions are crucial. But mission is much more than
it. We’re to share Christ with every- But I also recognize two other far- that. We are not all called to be evan-
one, including those who are jaded reaching challenges, namely, our abil- gelists. There are large numbers of peo-
and cynical. So as we look at the ity, as a world community (1) to stay ple in our church around the world
world, whether in regard to poverty—a together; and (2) to remember who we who spend their lives and energies in
huge item—or HIV/AIDS, or whatever, are. Neither of these is easy to mea- mission as teachers, as healers of mind
the church should always be an instru- sure. And they are not good at looking and body, as writers, as feeders of those
ment of encourage-
ment and hope,
ALSO PART OF THE PICTURE: This Adventist construction worker goes over plans for a church building in Cuba.
bringing people a
sense of their value
in Christ. Christ
has called us to
serve Him in the
world.
Talk to us about
mission against the
background of the
church’s usual
focus on witnessing
and growth. What
challenges do you
see here?
I think it is so
important for the
church to remember
that we exist for
the primary pur-
GLOBAL MISSION
pose of mission.
The life of wit-
ness and service is
the heartbeat of
BY
the church. The

PHOTO
church has no life
who are hungry, and as friends to those In a period of, say, two consecutive percent of them cannot be found.
who are lonely and have no hope. Sabbaths, 25,000 to 30,000 are bap- Given the seriousness of what you
Mission means primarily to become tized. When that happens, the evange- just said, what kind of action can the
involved, to spend time, energy, and list is taking the work done during the church take, with teeth, to fix the
resources so that a person may come to previous six to nine months in hun- problem?
know Jesus as Savior. Mission is to dreds of local groups throughout the Whenever evangelism is exported
facilitate a meeting between Jesus and country, bringing them together, giving to any part of the world, it needs to
a human being. Mission is to be a wit- to those who have already been taught link up with the work that is done in
ness; to tell someone about Jesus. and who have basically made their the area. There needs to be continuity
No, I don’t expect all to do evange- decision a sense of “moment,” a sense between the work that has been done in
lism, as we traditionally define it. But I of celebration, a sense of the largeness that local area and the evangelism brought
expect all to become involved in mis- of the Adventist community. And it’s in from outside. Furthermore, when the
sion. also saying to the public, to the city: reaping culminates and decisions are
May we probe one detail here? We “Look, the Seventh-day Adventist made to join the church, there must be
gather you have a concern about Church is big! It’s full of life! Come, provision for an infrastructure to care
what might be called “trans-border” take a look!” I see huge value in such for the new growth—I refer here, for
evangelism. Can you spell that out large campaigns. example, to a place for them to wor-
for us? But there is a downside? ship. That’s fundamental. A bush or an
We’ve always had some of this, and Yes. This arises when we confine orange grove will not do. In addition,
I expect it to continue to be part of such efforts essentially and exclusively the evangelistic team needs to make
our life as an international church. within a short period of time, with sure that there’s an ongoing ministry to
And clearly it has value as moments hardly any preparation or follow-up. In the people who come into the church,
when the “flag is publicly hoisted.” It a particular environment or locality, and that they’re not being left to look
makes a statement to the public, and it people—for whatever reasons (be they after themselves. Annual Council took
becomes a valuable moment of cele- political or social)—may be open to an action underscoring the need for
bration for the members. An interna- the gospel, and find themselves drawn this to be cared for.
tional evangelist can be very effective into the church. Initially everything You’ve seen it done successfully?
in this. may look great to them; but once the About three or four years ago a few
A big public evangelistic campaign evangelist leaves, they can find them- leading laypersons from North
is a necessary instrument by which the selves with no mentor and no friends. America—one of them a very good
church parades itself to the larger pub- They lack a sense of belonging. And preacher—went to a part of India
lic. To use one example, [South with no church in which to worship, where we were very thin on the
American Division evangelist] they lose contact; within a very short ground. They selected about 50 vil-
Alejandro Bullón holds a huge cam- time, 12 to 15 months or so, 80 to 90 lages and towns within a radius of
paign in Lima, Peru, with 40,000 to some 20 miles. They built a
50,000 people attending every church in each of
night, and lasting for a these and sta-
10- to 14-day tioned
period.
THEY ALSO SERVE: Volunteers move furniture
at the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
K U R T F AT T I C
BY
PHOTO
Global Mission volunteers in each for
a period of between six to 12 months.
Then came the big evangelistic
event, with congregations estab-
lished in each of those towns/vil-
lages. It also belongs to the story
that the one who paid for both
the building of the churches and
the expenses of the Global
Mission pioneers covered the
salary of those pioneers for some
five more years thereafter. That
person also built several elemen-
tary schools and a secondary
school at a central location to serve
the new believers. So there were
places for worship; there was pastoral
attention; and there was provision for
the education of the youth. The effort
saw 15,000 baptized that first year.
And you go back two years later to
find that that number has grown to
20,000.
This, to me, is a good illustration of
an effective way to do it.
This is very helpful in clarifying
your thinking.
1000 MISSIONARY MOVEMENT
In terms of building up the church,

there can be no doubt that real and
lasting growth takes place when the
church in the local community
becomes involved in their own people-
contact activities, inviting others to
meet Jesus as Savior and become a part
BY
of their church. It’s a process that usu-

PHOTO
ally stretches over a protracted period,

involving witness, study, and the nur-
GROWING THE CHURCH: Members of the 1000 Missionary Movement have found all kinds
turing of friendship. We all need of creative ways to obey our Lord’s command to baptize in His name, as in this barrel bap-
friends—after all, life in the church is tism ceremony in the Philippines.
also social. When someone is baptized
and joins our church, they need to
know they have friends in the church. kind of activity that the local church they do not sense that the Spirit has
They need to feel socially at home, finds its own meaning. And if the local given them the gift to function as pub-
that they belong to the family. This congregation is not involved in such lic evangelists. I want to say to them
creates an environment in which efforts, then there is reason to be con- that the mission of the church is very
people can grow among friends cerned about its life. broad, very complex, and that there’s a
who share a common faith. With your strong concern for mis- place for them—in keeping with their
It’s clear to me that this sion, does the declaration of 2004 as own spiritual gifts. I want to say: “You
kind of local ownership the Year of World Evangelism bring don’t all have to run public evangelis-
and network consti- you any discomfort? tic campaigns. But you all have to
tutes the most effec- Quite the contrary. But I do want to make it your business to minister to
tive instrument of send a message to the many who do someone, to be a partner with Christ
church growth. not feel they’re a natural fit in the pub- in mission, and thereby also taste for
I feel also that lic evangelism mode, and who may sit yourself the flavor of the 2004 out-
it’s precisely back feeling guilty, wondering whether reach.”
in this they are failing the church because I also know that there are going to
He Stood in Pouring Rain stay dry; he could get wet. He’s an evangelist.
And the evangelistic series wouldn’t have been anything
Evangelism takes many prayers, without the Adventists in Aba and the surrounding region.
many minds, many hands. They held Bible studies with people, brought them to the
meetings, encouraged them in decisions for Jesus. They
BY DON SCHNEIDER too are evangelists—just not at the pulpit.
I’ve gotten a lot of credit for conducting a series of All this is important to remember for the Year of World
evangelistic meetings that tens of thousands attended and Evangelism in 2004.
that result in the baptism of thousands of people. That’s You may not feel you’re ready to speak. That’s fine. The
wrong. person who greets people at the door is an evangelist; can
We had this series in Aba, Nigeria, last November. you do that? The person who enters the Bible study card
(You may have read about it in the January issue of the names into the computer is an evangelist; can you do
Review.) It was uplinked all over Africa, but all I did was that? The person who runs the projection gear, or the per-
speak. Now, that was an important task, and a hard task. son who organizes the advertising, or the person who
I wanted to tell people about Jesus in the most winsome makes sure the building is heated or cooled—they’re evan-
way possible, so I spent a lot of time studying and praying. gelists.
But a guy named Warren Judd from the Adventist Media Being an evangelist means you use your gift to help
Center was just as important. He ran the audio for the people learn about Jesus. Will you be an evangelist this
event, and people wouldn’t have heard a word if he hadn’t year?
been an evangelist. Reini Blech from the media center is a
camera operator, and people wouldn’t have seen me if he Don Schneider is president of the North
hadn’t been an evangelist too. American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
Now, this isn’t trivial. Reini stood in pouring rain one
night. He was so wet that he couldn’t have gotten wetter.
But he made sure the tarp was over the camera; it had to
its way. It seems to me that the

church—I mean the church at the
level at which we serve it, the church
as a local congregation—should always
probe and explore these important
questions: What can we bring to the
world that is our immediate environment,
and to the world as a global community?
What can we create in it? The world
needs all the help it can get, and God
wants us to be a creative force within
it. That should be a matter of continu-
CONSUELO R. JACKSON
ing reflection for the church.

We’ve not talked about revival and
reformation, traditional Adventist
values. Are they important to you?
Oh yes, I think they’re very impor-
BY
tant. But I believe that spirituality is

PHOTO
nurtured in an environment that is

alive and active in mission. When the
MAKING DO: Dr. Irineo Pantangco performs neck surgery by flashlight in the Philippines.
church is busy being the church, the
life of Bible study and prayer finds its
be many out there who will somehow something about your feelings about natural setting. Our prayer life and our
switch off because 2004 doesn’t fit the church. Can you state it for the reading of the Word of God find their
them. And I want to say to them, “Of record? strongest and clearest meaning when
course it does. Just look at what you Well, it has to do with the role of placed within the practical and active
can do also.” the church as an instrument of mission everyday life. The command of our
Off the record you mentioned and evangelism in a world that has lost Lord was to go out and be a witness: to
teach, to preach, to heal, and to learn unity is, it’s not going to be accom- make people strangers to their own
to love people. I believe that spiritual- plished by policies, constitutional pro- world. Rather, it brings with it a new
ity, as revival and reformation, is a by- visions, or committee actions. Our addition, a new flavor, found in the
product of obedience to the Lord. unity is primarily and essentially a spir- values and direction taught by the
You’ve often spoken about unity. itual one. It’s what we share in the Bible. But we shall all remain children
Do you see unity as being under Lord. It’s driven by the Holy Spirit. It’s of our own soil. It would be unnatural
threat in our church as it expands? the faith we hold in common. It’s our and unhealthy to expect otherwise.
No, not really. I see unity as some- shared heritage. Therefore, there will be diversity, espe-
thing one has to be very deliberate The practical leadership dynamics cially in worship styles and witnessing.
about. You have to think about it. of unity require an administrative style Unity as a world spiritual community
When you make certain decisions, you that is based on consultation and con- is not threatened by that.
have to ask: “What does this do to the sensus, with due deference being exer-
rest of our church?” You have to be cised, not on the authority of some
able to identify both the elements that hierarchical structure or on the exer-
support unity and those that don’t. cise of power from higher organiza-
What do you consider the single tions. The model for church leadership
most serious threat to the unity of is not found in the corporate world of
the church today? contemporary society, but in the Bible.
Becoming inward-looking and Our model is Christ.
parochial in one’s thinking and plan- But real people live in a real world, Willliam G.
ning. That’s not good for the unity of a and that world differs from one culture Johnsson is editor
global family. It’s so natural to see and to another. Unity of faith—unity as a and Roy Adams
feel for life and its needs in our imme- spiritual community—does not remove an associate
diate environment—this is where I people from their own local culture editor of the
live; this is where my family lives; this and traditions. Adventism does not Adventist Review.
is my local church; and why shouldn’t
it come first? These are important con-
siderations, not to be dismissed out of
hand.
But there’s another dimension,
equally important and in need of
attention. From our very beginning as
a church, created by God in these last
days, we were programmed for mission.
We think globally. We have always
made decisions about our own local
life as a church with an eye on how it
would impact the church in other parts
of the world. And we have had a won-
derful capacity to show deference. We
were taught by our pioneers to think
mission, to look away from ourselves,
and to sacrifice. The idea of “finishing
the work” has always been at the heart
of our global agenda, with the belief
that Christ would not return until that
is accomplished. It has always been a
hallmark of Seventh-day Adventists to
give to mission elsewhere—and to
come back and give again and again.
Given our strong growth, is it
realistic to think that we can con-
tinue to stay as one unified church
around the world?
I think that it is, and I think that’s
precisely God’s plan. But important as
D E V O T I O N A L
Baruch’s Answer
Like Jeremiah’s assistant, I too had questions. Big questions.
And God answered me.
T
BY JENNIFER WILLIAMS
T
HERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE WORLD “I want God to come,” my roommate said, then admitted,
was overrun by fire and destruction, a time “but not now. My parents grew up; they married and had
when God’s people had to put aside their own kids. Why can’t I?”
lives and plans and take up a pen, a sword, or a We all agreed. We’d been waiting to grow up our whole
cross. short lives. Yes, we knew the world was a wicked place, but
A pen. Like Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, son of Neriah. our dreams were good.
Jeremiah was the prophet. The message was his to pro-
claim. But Baruch wrote it down, message after message—of We Felt Fear
disaster, fire, destruction, and lamentation. Messages that In May of 2001 I sat in a courtyard in modern Jerusalem,
denied peace and safety and foretold doom. somewhere near the place where Baruch had walked and
Baruch had written it all down and had gone into the written and lamented. But the fear of impending doom was
Temple courts to proclaim it to the people. He’d then hid- far from my mind. I was enjoying a study tour to Israel with
den away with Jeremiah, while the king sliced away his care- a group from my school. We’d shopped in the Old City and
fully penned document, line by line, burning the scroll in swum in the Sea of Galilee, and now, late at night (we still
the fire. And then he wrote it all again. weren’t tired), a group of us were laughing and playing
Baruch, son of Neriah. No wonder he said, “Woe to me! games outside our rooms. From beyond our snug courtyard
The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with walls came a sound like a sonic boom, causing us to pause
groaning and find no rest” (Jer. 45:3).* momentarily in our play. “It’s a bomb,” I joked in mock fear,
On a clear day Mount Zion shone white in the morning sure that it wasn’t. We laughed and resumed our game. Then
sunlight, and the city of Jerusalem, like a polished gem. we heard the sirens, and we didn’t laugh anymore.
Baruch had hurried with the crowds through the narrow city A car bomb had exploded in west Jerusalem. As we heard
streets and alleys as the gates of Jerusalem were busy with excited voices yelling in Arabic in the street outside our
marketgoers carrying wares and worshipers leading animals building, we felt real fear of a danger we had never encoun-
to sacrifice. He’d hoped they would listen—hoped he would tered before.
see a new age, a rejuvenation of the worship of the true From inside the walls of our Jerusalem courtyard we
God. But Baruch had seen through Jeremiah’s eyes fire burn- remembered newspaper accounts of the tensions between
ing in those gates and the people going into exile. This East and West Jerusalem—factual, faraway accounts. Now
would not be the first time there’d been war, but this time the stories were real. Were people dying out in the darkness
destruction would be devastating and complete. Baruch must beyond our walls? Would war break out in the streets around
have wondered, Why this in my time? us?
In my time, after hearing a sermon heavy with warning But the next morning came clear and sunny and calm.
about the time of the end, I gathered with my friends in my The Arabs were out in the streets, going to work and school
dormitory room. Sprawled out across the beds and on the as always. In West Jerusalem the Jews were doing the same.
floor, we passed around a bag of Doritos, talking easily, let- The violence and distress, so foreign to us, was common to
ting the complacency of normalcy ease away feelings of trep- them. They lived with it—the fear, the pain, the groaning—
idation brought on by the preacher’s prophecy. every day.
While I’d wished in my dorm room bility was to God, as I left my stately Trusting When We Cannot See
that the end of the world would be cathedral and stepped into a tomorrow Baruch had been born in a time of
delayed until I’d lived my life, the I did not know. decision, to seek not for himself, but
Palestinian and Israeli parents and Jesus was equal with God when He for God. It was a time when God
children saw their lives stretching into left it all to become part of a struggling would have to take the people He had
a future punctuated by violence, per- little people on the one fallen planet brought from the womb—who had
meated by dread. in the universe. Born as a human rejected Him, their salvation—and
being, He lived His whole life for oth- uproot them. God had chosen Baruch
My Epiphany ers, for us. And when the final for His work, and Baruch’s life would
Two months after my world glimpse moments and the greatest sacrifice be saved because he’d chosen God.
I was back in the security of were upon Him, He said: “Now my It is easy to want to do great things
Pennsylvania. Jerusalem had faded for God, but it is not easy to bear a
from my mind, and I’d resumed plans cross.
for my life. But one stage of life for me “Of all the gifts that heaven can
was ending, as I stood on the porch of bestow upon men, fellowship with
a cabin where I’d played since child- Christ in His sufferings is the most
hood, knowing I’d never return. My weighty trust and the highest
college graduation and the “real honor. Not Enoch, who was
world” of adulthood beckoned. translated to heaven, not Elijah,
I ran away through mossy who ascended in a chariot of
woods where I’d hunted wild- fire, was greater or more hon-
flowers and bears, where I’d ored than John the Baptist,
camped and played. A tree who perished alone in the
curved out like a seat was a dungeon” (The Ministry of
good place to have a long Healing, p. 478).
cry, and I indulged myself Baruch lived to see the
there, remembering a past I destruction of Jerusalem and
both wanted to escape and the exile of his people. But he
hold on to. I cried over the probably did not live to see the
ungranted wishes and childhood day, years later, when the captives
regrets and the fear of the future returned to Israel and rebuilt the
and goodbyes. Temple of their God. And Baruch also
When I’d wrung all the tears out of never knew the day, later still, when
me, I didn’t feel comforted, only done. the “desire of all nations” came to that
Lifting my head, I took a real look at Temple, to fulfill all things.
the woods surrounding me. A number Baruch never saw these answers to
of tall stately trunks made a large cir- heart is troubled, and what shall I say? the prayers of generations, but he bore
cle, two trunks twisting toward each ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it a “most weighty trust and the highest
other like a gateway. I was sitting in was for this very reason I came to this honor” in his time.
the arcade of a natural cathedral, high hour. Father, glorify your name!” (John And so, as I emerge from the woods
branches reaching above me like spired 12:27, 28). of my childhood, I realize that my life
ceilings, and archways with rose win- Thousands of years ago when the will not be, cannot be, like the one I
dows showing the clear blue sky. I old Jerusalem sat polished and precari- dreamed of with my dolls as a child.
should be on my knees in this place, I ous on Mount Zion, Baruch groaned God has a higher purpose and a bigger
realized, worshiping God. And in that and found no rest. But God heard his picture, and it’s time to seek His
moment I knew what the purpose of cry. And through Jeremiah, the God of answers.
my life was—not to marry and have Israel answered that cry. “The Lord
children and seek fame and a great said, ‘Say this to him: “This is what *All Scripture quotations in this article are
from the New International Version.
name, but to glorify God. the Lord says: I will overthrow what I
In all my life—wherever I was have built and uproot what I have
headed and whatever I’d left behind— planted, throughout the land. Should Jennifer Williams is from
PHOTO © PHOTODISC
my only reason for living, the highest you then seek great things for yourself? Walnutport, Pennsylvania.
goal there could be, was to bring glory Seek them not. For I will bring disaster When she wrote this piece,
to God’s name. on all people, declares the Lord, but she was attending the
Suddenly it was all clear. I was a wherever you go I will let you escape School of Visual Arts in
team with God, and my first responsi- with your life”’” (Jer. 45:4, 5). New York City.
T H E V I E W F R O M H E R E
ALICIA WORLEY DE PALACIOS
Ecuador
★ Guayaquil
Only Just Begun

aniel finishes his meal by clutching the sides of baptism. His uncle and aunt were so impressed with his
D his soup bowl and turning it over. Delighted

with the river of green that fills his high chair
tray, he raises his hands to complete the master-
piece, à la Jackson Pollock, on the nearby wall.
My husband jumps to the rescue while I, patiently and for
the umpteenth time, give my little discourse on mealtime
etiquette. After all, Daniel’s barely 2.
turnaround that they began to attend church themselves.
But then late one night Francisco showed up on Hilda’s
doorstep completely drunk. “Sister, help me!” he cried. “I
cannot help myself. How can I go home like this?”
Hilda prayed with him, assuring him that God was going
to deliver him, then made arrangements for him to spend
the night with the Pathfinder leader, who called Francisco’s
I wish I could be that patient with myself and with those uncle to tell him that Francisco was staying with him.
around me who are still growing in Christ. I wish I could be Hilda did a little research and then went to the church.
more like Hilda. “Brothers and sisters,” she said, “this young man needs our
When Hilda learned that Pastor Alejandro Bullón was help.” She told them that God had great plans for Francisco
coming to town, she began calling on every unchurched and that He’d only just begun to work them out. She begged
friend and relative she knew. As South America’s most them to help her come up with the $400 to cover the first
famous Adventist evangelist, Bullón is known for his effec- month at the best rehab program in town (an amount repre-
tive proclamation of God’s transforming grace. Along with senting a monthly income for many of the members). The
at least 300 other church members from her district, Hilda church family rallied around Francisco and raised the money
went to work. But, strangely, she met with nothing but by selling food after its Saturday evening youth programs.
rejection. It’s been more than three months now, and Francisco
Hilda was feeling somewhat defeated as she started out lives at the rehab center, gratis. The director offered him
for the first meeting. Then she noticed a young ceviche* free room and board after the first month if he would con-
vendor perched on the seat of his three-wheeled food cart. tinue to give Bible studies and encourage the other partici-
Out of what felt like desperation, but proved to be more an pants. Francisco is an inspiration to all, perhaps most of all
impulse of the Holy Spirit, Hilda blurted out an invitation to his relatives, three of whom are now active members of
to the meeting. To her shock the young man accepted. the local church.
When his vending buddy began to ridicule him, he just As long as Daniel is 1, going on 2, I’m going to have to
replied, “My life’s a mess; I’m ready to try anything!” help him with his table manners. Sometimes I grit my teeth,
Francisco received the message like a drowning man but I choose to be patient and loving. According to the
grasping at a life ring, and asked to be baptized on the final experts, that will go a long way toward helping him develop
Sabbath of the campaign. He didn’t show up. It is about this into a happy and healthy adult.
time that, for many of us, there is a strong temptation to And, inspired by Hilda’s example, I’m determined to
question the methods of public evangelism and perhaps share that same encouragement and patience with my fellow
even the authenticity of responses to altar calls. Hilda’s only believers.
concern was to find her “lost lamb.” Her search ended at the
local jail, where Francisco had been imprisoned for selling *Ceviche is a zesty seafood dish, seasoned with lime juice, tomatoes,
onions, and cilantro; served with popcorn or corn nuts.
his uncle’s ceviche cart and using the proceeds to buy
drugs—that very morning.
Alicia Worley de Palacios writes from Ecuador, where stories of
“Pastor Torres,” Hilda pleaded with her local pastor,
redemption rarely fit on one page.
“God has great plans for Francisco, and I intend to see this
through. Please come with me to visit him!” And they went.
Francisco gave no excuses, and his remorse, along with the
I wish I could be
M A P S © C A RT E S I A
prodding of Hilda and Pastor Torres, moved his uncle to

drop charges and pitch in $100 to bail him out.
Things were picture-perfect for a while as Francisco
actively participated in church activities and prepared for
more like Hilda.
BONNIE WALKER
Help!
esus, help us!” I cried. of empty cans floated near us. Katherine and I each grabbed
J My sister Katherine hugged me as we sat huddled in

the middle seat of the camp boat during a wild storm on
Babine Lake, in British Columbia, Canada. Huge waves
one and began bailing out the water that was fast filling the
boat. I could see Ron at the back, steering the boat, his hat
pulled down over his ears. Another mighty wave sloshed
splashed over the sides, drenching us with every slap. over us.
We’d taken the long, wide camp boat to pick up supplies “Jesus, help us!” I prayed again. “We’re going to drown!”
at the general store, many miles from the camp where we After what seemed like hours, we finally arrived at the
lived. About 4:00 our boat was loaded, the old motor sheltered bay where the camp was anchored. The houses
started, and we headed back to our logging camp. It was rested on logs, and though the water was much calmer here
turning cloudy and dark, but my brother-in-law, Ron, didn’t in the bay, the houses still rocked on the choppy water.
seem worried. He knew all about boats and the moods of the Staggering out of the boat, we dragged the groceries up the
large wilderness lake. plank into our house.
At first Katherine and I giggled nervously at the choppy Ron started a fire in the cookstove while Katherine and I
waves, then shivered as the air became colder. Katherine changed into warm pajamas and housecoats. Then Ron
dug out two pairs of Ron’s newly purchased long underwear. changed into dry clothes. We opened a large can of stewed
We pulled them on over our clothes and howled with laugh- tomatoes and dumped them into the cast-iron frying pan.
ter at our costumes. Ron isn’t afraid, I reassured myself, so After they began to bubble, Katherine cracked a few eggs into
why should I be? them. We made toast by putting bread on top of the stove.
Then the wind began to howl. White-capped waves Katherine and I were still shaking from exhaustion and
rocked our boat. We pushed against each other as the storm fright. But it wasn’t until we all sat around the old wooden
beat on us. I must have been nuts to come to this wild place, I plank table that we noticed how pale and quiet Ron was.
decided, crouching in the old boat. “That was the worst storm I’ve ever experienced,” he said,
Two months ago Katherine had married Ron and moved hugging Katherine. “I feared we would drown—I really did!
with him to a new campsite where he’d be camp supervisor Thank God we’re here.”
and she’d cook. When they came to visit our family just The gas lamp hissed and flickered, and the wood in the
before school started, my folks gave me permission to go stove crackled. It was good to be home. “O, Lord,” I prayed,
home with them until Christmas. I’d be Katherine’s helper “thank You for getting us here safely. Thank You! Thank
when I wasn’t doing my school lessons by correspondence. You!”
Splash! Another giant wave
enveloped us. Grabbing the corner
of the tarp that covered the week’s
grocery supplies, Katherine pulled
some of the canvas over our backs.
Family Time
During your family worship, ask if anyone was ever in a storm.
We knew the mighty granite
cliff of Black Point was on our
Talk about the fear they felt.
right, but it was too dark to tell ☛ Jonah went for an unusual ride in a fish that God pro-
where the cliff ended and the vided. What might it have been like inside the fish? When did
water began. How can Ron possibly Jonah start talking to God? What did he say?
know where to steer the boat? I won-
dered. ☛ Have you ever run away and then gotten into bigger
Our boat lumbered up massive trouble than you had expected?
waves, then plunged deep into ☛ Where is God when we hide?
angry valleys of water. I was terri-
☛ Sing together number 551, “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me,” in
✃
fied, sure that one more gigantic

wave would capsize us. A couple
your Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.
W O R L D N E W S & P E R S P E C T I V E S
Working Hand in Hand in Mali

ADRA/Mali complements the Adventist Church’s mission in West Africa.
H
ave you ever heard of for cattle, sheep, and goats. Eighty per- schools in Sion and Eden in the first
Timbuktu? It’s a peculiar cent of the population is rural, depend- two districts; a third one named
town, known in history ing on agriculture that is possible only Maranatha is planned to open in
for being an important in the 2 percent of arable and fertile Ségou this year. Quality education is
crossway for camel cara- land in the south. The main crops are being offered to nearly 3,700 school
vans transporting salt and other com- millet, corn, rice, cotton, and peanuts. children in such areas basic educa-
mercial goods through the Sahara. The country’s capacity to produce tion, school materials, health assis-
Timbuktu is located in Mali, a small sufficient food has been continuously tance, nurturing school gardens, food
country in western Africa, where undermined by progressing desertifica- distribution, and mud school rehabili-
David and Fiorentina Ferraro have tion and inappropriate management of tation.
been directing the Adventist work natural resources.
since 1999. David is president of the Mali’s poverty is mainly felt in the Getting Down to Business
Mali Mission, and Fiorentina directs inadequate food supply, with dry-land With a Feminine Touch
the Adventist Development and Relief farmers and urban poor being the most A third program, for women’s eco-
Agency/Mali. vulnerable. nomic development, is funded by
Both institutions started their activ- ADRA/Mali came to the country in ADRA International.
ities in Mali during the mid-1980s, 1985 with relief and development This project focuses on women in
when sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ interventions in response to a pro- Bamako and assists them in starting
and community development worked longed famine caused by drought. and managing small businesses such as
side by side. Since then, the humanitarian agency chair renting, dyeing clothes for sale,
has implemented various projects rang- and small commerce. The project
Deep Islamic Roots ing from basic education, literacy, and improves the family’s access to food
Ninety percent of the Malian peo- health, to natural resource manage- and a better living environment, and
ple profess the Islamic religion, 9 per- ment and economic development. empowers women to participate more
cent are animists, and only 1 percent Currently ADRA/Mali is imple- actively in the decision-making process
are Christian. menting a three-year development pro- of their family and groups.
Organized in 1982, the Mali gram focusing on natural resource ADRA’s development programs
Mission has one indigenous pastor, management, water and sanitation, have changed the lives of many indige-
three district churches, seven village microenterprise, literacy, health and nous Malians by enhancing their pro-
chapels, and 22 groups. In the past five hygiene, and community organization. ductive capacity and their access to
years, with the combined efforts of food, making available water for irriga-
Global Mission and Gospel Outreach Community Education tion and drinking, and increasing
workers, the church membership has Another initiative is the commu- knowledge in health practices and
grown from 500 to 1,143 as of nity education program funded by adult literacy.
December 31, 2003. ADRA/Sweden and the Swedish One of the participants declared, “I
Last year the mission began working Mission Council. Through this pro- was like a blind person in the middle
in a fourth district, the city of Ségou, gram ADRA/Mali educates Malian cit- of the market when I was illiterate. But
and in October it opened the doors of izens in health, hygiene, and basic now, thanks to ADRA, I can read and
its first primary school in Gouana, a community development. write and easily bargain in the market.
village bordering the capital city of This long-term primary education What a great change it is for me.”
Bamako. program is funded by REACH/Italy ADRA focuses on the participatory
With an annual per capita income (Render Effective Aid to Children) approach to implement and sustain
of US$265, Mali is listed as one of the and serves more than 50 villages in the economic development. This approach
five poorest countries on earth, accord- same three districts in which the mis- has been a proven success in moving
ing to a report from the United sion operates: Kolokani, Bamako, and the disadvantaged from dependence to
Nations Development Program. It’s an Ségou. self-reliance and autonomy.
arid land that barely supports grazing The project opened two primary With the serious level of poverty in
Mali, there is increased pressure on ADRA to expand its Did You Know?
initiatives. Many leaders and villagers, particularly
women, request assistance in literacy, microcredit, digging Gallup Polls Show Slight Rise
wells, building classrooms, planting vegetable gardens, or in U.S. Religious Indicators
help with their children’s education. Religiosity among North Americans is on the rise after
These programs have won the respect of local authori- hitting an all-time low last year, according to the annual
ties and beneficiaries alike. Gallup poll of leading religious indicators.
To assess the needs of this small West African country The index compiles survey answers about religious habits
better, ADRA/Mali is planning to conduct extensive and preferences into a comprehensive score, with a maxi-
research. Officials want to evaluate the feasibility of mum of 1,000 points. The score of 648 for 2003 is a seven-
expanding existing projects to touch other needy popula- point jump over 641 in 2002—the lowest religious index in
tions of the country, finding financial partners willing to the poll’s 60-year history. The highest score came in 1956,
promote equity for these vulnerable and disadvantaged with an index of 746.
people, implementing programs to alleviate poverty and The index—drawn from a variety of Gallup polls through-
enhance food security, building organizational capacity to out the year—surveys Americans on seven measurements of
meet the ever-changing procedures and competences of religious practice, including church attendance, confidence
the development field, and improving methods of sustain- in organized religion, and the ethical standards of clergy.
ing current development programs once ADRA/Mali Pollsters attribute 2002’s record low to the continuing
pulls out. sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, which
The Mali Mission and ADRA look forward to the emerged in early 2002.
advancement of the gospel and the development of the The impact of the scandal may have been short-term,
Malian people, trusting in the assistance of our mighty since last year’s 30-point drop from the 2001 religious index
God and the love of men and women of goodwill. was not repeated in 2003.—Religion News Service.
N E W S B R E A K
South Pacific Adventist Dominican Union officials decided at a recent session,

to return nearly all departmental directors to the union
Volunteers Set New Record office, and to add two associate ministerial secretaries
for the union territory.
ore than 1,000 Adventists in the South Pacific After nearly doubling its new membership in the
M Division donated their time last year in service to
others, up from the previous record of 881 in 2000.
present quinquennium (88,341 new members, compared
with 45,061 in the previous five years), the Dominican
More than half of the 1,035 volunteers were members Republic also increased its pastoral staff by 20 percent.
of StormCo (Service to Others Really Matters) teams, Organized churches grew from 417 to 552; companies
serving in local communities only in response to invita- increased from 311 to 521; and actual membership grew
tions to do so. “More and more young adults want to do from 111,455 in 2000 to 200,253—an 80 percent
practical things for God,” says Pastor Mel Lemke, direc- increase in less than five years.
tor of the church’s Adventist Volunteer Service. “They Located between the Caribbean Sea and the North
enjoy . . . taking religion out of the church and into the Atlantic Ocean, the Dominican Republic has a popula-
community.” tion of 8.8 million, with one Seventh-day Adventist for
Not included in the record figure are 342 others who every 44 inhabitants.
participated in Volunteers in Action last year. This inde-
pendent supporting ministry, founded and directed by Adventist U.N. Liaison Condemns
Queensland-based retirees Cliff and Val Morgan, spon- Death Penalty for Conversion
sors volunteer missionaries from the Pacific islands to
grow churches in isolated areas of their countries.— Juan Perla, United Nations (U.N.) liaison officer for
Adventist News Network. the Adventist Church, delivered a statement calling on
member organizations of the Committee of Nongovern-
Dominican Republic Adjusting to Growth mental Agencies on Freedom of Religion and Belief to
cosign a joint statement denouncing the death penalty
Responding to rapidly growing church membership, for apostasy (conversion to another religion). The state-
Too Busy for Church?

BY MYRNA TETZ, WRITING FROM D U R H A M , N O RT H C A R O L I N A
A
s the Anglican Church contemplates moving the sports, for instance. Leggett attends the St. Faith church in
day of worship from Sunday in response to a modern Kerrisdale, British Columbia, where his wife, Paula, is a priest.
culture that is too busy to go to church on week- Anglican bishop David Murray, from Perth, Australia,
ends, Douglas Todd reported the reaction of two Anglican believes that Australian churches “must adapt to the times if
bishops in the Vancouver (British they expect to survive.” He can even
Columbia, Canada) Sun, February 7, imagine a future in which there is no
2004. N E W S C O M M E N TA R Y such thing as a traditional Sunday
Richard Leggett, a professor of litur- church service.
gics at the Vancouver School of Theology, suggests that it’s a However, Leggett doesn’t think that doing away with
big issue for families. His 13-year-old son plays rugby every Sunday morning worship services will necessarily fly in
Sunday morning, but that means he can no longer attend North America or the worldwide Anglican Church.
Sunday morning worship. “Sunday worship is critical to Christian belief because it’s
“My son is feeling the pressure,” says Leggett, “but right the day Christians proclaim Christ is risen,” claims Leggett.
now he’s practicing rugby on Sunday, and we’re trying to Somehow I don’t think Seventh-day Adventists will
find other items and places he can get fed spiritually.” practice hockey or basketball instead of Saturday worship
According to Leggett, many Anglican, United, Catholic, gatherings, or change the day of worship, for that matter.
and other Christian churches have been scheduling services But we’ll have to admit that moving away from any of God’s
other than Sunday mornings in an effort to deal with the 10 expressed commands does make it easy to fall into the
problems hyperbusy families face with scheduled weekend ditch of our own secular desires.
N E W S B R E A K
ment averred that “enforcing the death penalty for “The developed world has such a surplus of tech-
changing one’s religion or belief is the most extreme form nology,” says Heather Miller of SIFE. “Yet schools in
of religious intolerance.” Ethiopia don’t have even one computer, let alone
“At the dawn of the twenty-first century the death access to the Internet. . . . What we do with the Connect
penalty is considered by most civilized nations as an project is one small way of helping children in Ethiopia
unacceptable punishment,” says Jonathan Gallagher, and other places catch up to the rest of the world.”
U.N. liaison director for the church. “The freedom to A California company will examine, refurbish, and/or
change one’s religion or belief is supported in Article 18 recycle the computers and related equipment. When the
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; however, first shipment arrives in Ethiopia in March, “SIFE stu-
some states continue to enforce the death penalty for dent teams will teach groupings of Ethiopian teachers
conversion in their legal codes.” how to use the computers and how to utilize the
The Adventist Church and the International Internet,” says Miller.
Religious Liberty Association expect to raise the issue SIFE is an international organization started in 1975
again at the U.N. Human Rights Commission’s sixtieth by corporate America as a way to give college students
session in late March. hands-on experience in learning, practicing, and teach-
ing the principles of free enterprise. The LSU SIFE team
La Sierra University Collecting was organized during the 1991-1992 school year.
Computers for Ethiopia
Netherlands Antilles Launches
During the month of January La Sierra University Religious Freedom Association
(LSU) Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), with the School
of Business and Management, collected 3,000 computers, During meetings in Curacao in January, the
2,560 printers, and 1,086 monitors from businesses and the Netherlands Antilles Religious Liberty Association
community to share with public and community schools in (NARLA) was formed as an affiliate of the International
Ethiopia. The ongoing project at the Riverside, California, Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) with headquarters
university is called Connect Ethiopia. in Silver Spring, Maryland. (The IRLA was founded in
Global Mission Prayer Ministry

Please pray for people in Romania who local religious leader was
have yet to hear the Adventist message, working against him. One
and for dedicated pioneers such as Hotnog very cold night a drunken
Titi, who are sharing the good news. Romania man was found dead on the
sidewalk. This religious leader
G
lobal Mission pioneer Hotnog called some of his followers,
Titi arrived in the village of gave them alcohol, and had
Tupilati with high hopes of dents came back. Tupilati group
them put the body in the
what he would accomplish for God. One student Adventist church. The dis-
He started a mobile library to lend reli- said he could never read the Bible—it covery of the body caused a negative
gious books to people, and visited peo- was too hard to understand. Titi prayed attitude toward the Adventists. When
ple in their homes. He also started a and encouraged him. That night in a the authorities started an official
Bible study class in one of the homes. dream the man heard a voice: “From inquiry, one of the men who had
One day two of the men from the class now on, you can start studying the moved the body was bothered by his
got drunk, beat a local policeman, and Bible by yourself.” The next morning conscience and confessed. When the
were arrested. The other students were he woke up and started studying his truth came out, the villagers changed
sure that this would close their meet- Bible, and he was able to fill in the their opinion of the Adventists and
ings. When Titi came for the Bible four blanks in his study questionnaire. their leader.
study, he found five frightened students Soon his behavior and vocabulary For more information about Global
waiting. News soon spread that the changed too. Mission work, visit www.global-
class would continue, and other stu- While Titi was quietly working, a mission.org or call 1-800-648-5824.
N E W S B R E A K
1893 by Adventist leaders and has developed into a non- bill payment service.
sectarian organization dedicated to safeguarding religious Robert T. Louk, South Australian Conference accoun-
civil rights around the world.) tant and director of stewardship, developed the new pro-
“Here in Curacao we have had religious liberty since gram, which even allows members to give anonymously if
the sixteenth century,” says the new NARLA president, they wish. He says the BPAY system will “give our mem-
Errol Maduro. “But because we have not had to fight for bers and the parents of the students at our schools the
it, . . . it is not in the consciousness of the people.” The widest range of options to choose from.”
need for the association became evident when the neigh- The church paid AUD1,000 to establish BPAY, but
boring island of Aruba adopted a law to enforce Sunday has already received more than AUD14,000 in tithes,
business closings, and discussions began in Curacao about offerings, and school fees since its establishment last
implementing a similar law. November.—Adventist News Network.
Daniel Duffis, president of the Netherlands-Antilles
Conference, believes in the value of a national movement News Notes
to help people of all faiths understand what religious free-
dom means. He said the NARLA will help “educate the ✓ The Inter-American Division recently organized a
people and anticipate the problems of tomorrow . . . so new mission in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,
that we can freely express our consciences.” with headquarters in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The
Nearly 5,150 Adventists worship weekly in 28 congre- North Bahamas Mission officers are: Keith Albury, presi-
gations throughout the Netherlands Antilles region.— dent; Errol Tinker, executive secretary; and Roderick
Adventist News Network. Sands, treasurer. Territory includes the Grand Bahama,
Abaco, Bimini, and Berry islands.
Australians Tithe via Internet ✓ David Trim, an Adventist lecturer in history at
Newbold College in the United Kingdom, was recently
Adventist members in South Australia can now elected by academic peers to be a fellow of the Royal
return their tithe, give offerings, and pay school fees on Historical Society. He is the first Adventist and first
the Internet or by phone using BPAY, an Australia-wide teacher from Newbold to achieve the fellowship.
L I F E S T Y L E
Kenya
on My
Mind
Personal experiences
in Kenya leave
unanswered
questions.
BY HOMER TRECARTIN
Homer and Barbara arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, in May [mini-bus jam-packed with people], and the
1999, where Homer took up his responsibilities as finance funeral will be on Monday. I will use some of
director for ADRA/South Sudan. Sudan is one of 14 countries in my annual leave days.”
the Middle East Union Mission, which is part of the Trans- As I said “Yes” my mind began piecing
European Division. But because of the continuing civil war and together some other parts of a puzzle picture Kiziah
lack of infrastructure in southern Sudan, the ADRA/South had been painting for me. I remembered how he had told
Sudan office is located in Nairobi, part of the East-Central me of several nieces and nephews that he and his wife help
Africa Division.—Editors. to sponsor in school. I thought of how he works on his off-
time as a contractor/salesperson for some of the furniture
makers in the area to earn more money to help with their
The Family Makes the Person tuition. Kiziah makes excellent wages for Nairobi. He and
Kiziah, my head accountant, stepped into my office and his wife have no children, but they still live in one of the
said, “I was wondering if I could take off Friday through sprawling “estates” (inexpensive apartment complexes) that
Tuesday.” surround the city. Because they have good jobs and no chil-
We were midway through a two-week seminar on dren, they are expected to help with many of the needs of
accounting and finance put on by someone from ADRA the extended family. And they don’t even seem to question
headquarters. I knew it was something Kiziah very much their role. That is part of life. If they were in need, someone
wanted to be a part of, and I paused, trying to think why he would just as quickly come to their rescue.
might be asking this. He shifted his feet and went on. “My That brief glimpse could be multiplied many times just
M A P © C A RT E S I A
cousin died, and I am responsible to get the body back to among our ADRA staff. The family is the basis of life. One’s
our hometown. We have been trying to collect the money identity grows out of the family, much more so than out of
for two weeks. Finally we have it, and the family feels I need the job, the house, or the social standing. Allegiance to the
to take the body right away. We will go Friday by matatu family runs deeper than to a country, a boss, or even a spouse.
Barbara and I have been quite well evaluated against the backdrop of old returns to his family in the slums,
accepted by our staff. However, if we stories, and old stories are adapted to arriving there about 7:30 p.m. with the
ever really became one of them (and fit new situations. For the most part, knowledge that he has nine hours to
both reading and experience seem to even in Nairobi it seems more impor- eat, sleep, talk with his wife and kids,
indicate they would accept us quite tant for the family to know who they and do anything around the house that
readily), we would also need to accept are than for the person to know who needs doing. Sometimes he has to use
the responsibilities of being part of the he or she is. part of that time to stop by his uncle’s
family. That would include people place and help his aging mother. For
stopping for a night (or a month), Education Hurts all that work he makes 5,000 Kenyan
expecting help with tuition, wanting Meshak’s eyes sparkle, and he excit- shillings (about US$67) a month .
special favors in regard to jobs, loans, edly opens the gate when I come in to When he finally gets his annual leave,
gifts, etc. You can’t be involved only the office on a Sunday morning. He is it is without pay which means he
when you want to be. always happy to see me (or anyone either doesn’t take it, or spends it try-
Within the family structure, the else, for that matter), but especially so ing to work another job so he can pay
leader (usually an older person, but on the weekends. He longs for some- his rent.
more and more often a young person, one to talk with, and devours any read- Of course, I don’t really believe that
like Kiziah, who demonstrates good ing material I can loan him. Meshak is education hurts—or do I? ADRA/
sense and leadership ability) will make hired by the security company we have Kenya and ADRA/South Sudan oper-
the decisions, but only after carefully contracted to provide 24-hour security ate a number of educational programs.
listening to the thoughts and feelings for our office. He is a guard—near the ADRA/South Sudan gives its employ-
of everyone else. The decision will be bottom of the pay scale in Nairobi. It ees (mostly Kenyans) an educational
based on the consensus he can see is boring work, and his keen mind allowance to help them educate their
building among the members (and he longs for something better, something children, and often pays for the
may even be keen enough to antici- more in line with the training he has employee to get more education as
pate that consensus before they realize had, but there isn’t anything. well. So how could I say education
they have reached it). At 4:30 a.m. every morning, seven hurts?
Within this type of social climate, days a week, 365 days a year, Meshak Kenya has the highest growth rate
storytelling plays a very important part leaves his wife and children in one of in the world, and one of the highest
in bringing about consensus and in the slums surrounding Nairobi and literacy rates in Africa. But those two
helping the family to realize its iden- walks an hour and a half to be at the factors have combined to make some
tity. The old and the young are tied office just as it starts to get light at very difficult situations. First, with
together by stories. New situations are 6:00 a.m. He works until 6:00 p.m. and such a high growth rate, the families
MODIFIED
P H O T O © A P W I D E W O R L D / E PA / S T E P H E N M O R R I S O N / D I G I T A L LY
are running out of land to divide was married, and he said no, but there be married.”
among their children. The alternative: was a slight hesitation. So I asked if he I didn’t say any more, and I haven’t
“We will give you an education had someone in mind. He grinned at asked him about it since, but I know
instead!” But then, armed with a pri- what he meant. He and his family
mary or secondary education, those were trying to come up with the neces-
young people leave the home villages sary cows (or money) for the bride
and pour into the cities looking for price. Because of that, I give a
jobs. More than 500 per day larger tip than I would oth-
come to Nairobi. Most end erwise.
up living in the slums. And I wonder if it is
Very few find the jobs fair to tip so gener-
they were hoping for, ously in order to
and many find no job get your groceries
at all. Prostitution, bagged carefully.
theft, begging, and In Nairobi, tip-
angry unrest ping and brib-
increase. But the ing might be
government hard to tell
seems paralyzed in apart some-
P H O T O © A P W I D E W O R L D / A P P H O T O S / S AY Y I D A Z I M
its efforts to times. Gift
change anything. giving, among
What would you members of a
change, anyway? family-ori-
Would you quit ented society,
educating the may happen
young? before a trans-
action, or
Bribes and afterward. It
Brides doesn’t really
Johnson bags matter, and in
my groceries their eyes it
whenever I go to isn’t to buy a
Uchumi’s. Oh, favor, but to
there are dozens help keep the
of people bagging family
at the long row of together and
checkouts, but I working
always look smoothly. It is
JOEL D. SPRINGER
around and find true that the

which one boundaries
Johnson is work- become a bit
ing. Then I get in fuzzy when
BY
line and wait—no you move

PHOTO
matter how long it from a local

is. It started when family to a
I noticed how care- conglomeration
ful he was in bagging of families in and
our things the first time around a fast-paced
(much different than most city. It is also true that
of the baggers). He was care- desperation and greed
ful to make sure the bread and affect the way gift giving is
bananas weren’t under the avocados used.
and ugali (maize meal). But just as in a western family, some
That day we talked as he wheeled me and said, “Yes, but we haven’t set a well-timed gifts can do much to keep
the loaded cart down to the ground date. I am still trying to get things things moving smoothly. Let’s face it:
floor and out to our Jeep. I asked if he together. Maybe by next year we can flowers brought home in the evening
aren’t a bribe by a husband wanting
supper, but they certainly may have
something to do with the atmosphere
that pervades the constant negotiating
we call marriage.
Back to Johnson. If the girl he has
his eye on can wait, I think she will be
one lucky woman. However, if she is
like many young women, her desperate
needs and the lack of her family’s abil-
ity to support her may drive her into
becoming the third wife of a middle-
aged, well-to-do businessman instead.
Maybe my tip/bribe is not so selfish
after all. Maybe I am really doing more
than ensuring that my tomatoes don’t
get squashed under my laundry soap.
Maybe I am helping Johnson keep a
young woman from becoming a life-
long slave of an older man looking for
another fling.
And to make the education prob-
lem just a little more complicated, a
recent study showed that girls given an
education were less likely to become a
second or third wife. The reason: it
delayed the need for them to be out on
their own, and gave the young men of
their own age a few extra years to get
established and be able to afford a wife.
Unanswered Questions
To bribe or not to bribe? To educate
or not to educate? To become totally
immersed or not quite in a family-ori-
ented society? These are questions that
I haven’t completely answered yet.
Maybe I never will, but I know that
the reading and research I have done
here at the mission institute have
helped to sensitize me to a work that
can only be done under the constant
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Homer Trecartin is the sec-

retary-treasurer of the
Middle East Union. He
and his wife, Barbara, live
in Nicosia, Cyprus. If you
would like to receive his weekly
e-mail,“MEU Musings,” e-mail him at
[email protected].
S T O R Y
Culturally and religiously worlds apart, we share a commitment to freedom.
BY VIOLA HUGHES
T
HE NAME ON HIS NAME TAG, ISMAIL endured by the Cambodian people, 2 million of whom
Osman, caught my attention. But I couldn’t read perished.
beyond his name from where I stood. From a dis- Yet here I was, at the Westin Philippine Plaza hotel in
tance he seemed a little lost in the crowd, but Manila, attending a congress to combat religious intoler-
there was something distinguished about him. I ance, with a man who not only had witnessed such cruelty,
decided to approach him and greet him in Malay, hoping he but survived the Khmer Rouge’s legacy of death, starvation,
was either Indonesian or Malaysian. and suffering.
He was neither Malaysian nor Indonesian, but Through the help of his interpreter, Im Touch, and his
Cambodian. Not only that, but he was undersecretary of wife, Hawa Abdul Menet, Osman explained that he was
Muslim Affairs for the government of Cambodia. My mind there at the invitation of Daniel Walter, former president of
began to race. the Cambodia Adventist Mission.
Osman began to tell me his story of surviving the reign of
Humanity on Display Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge command, and what he
Cambodia brings back a flood of memories. As a child I’d thought of religion and religious tolerance. After fleeing
heard many stories about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodia, Osman received refugee status in Malaysia,
As a young adult I visited Cambodian and Vietnamese where he lived from 1975 to 1988. Osman was a name he
refugees near the border of Thailand and Cambodia. The adopted legally after arriving in Malaysia. While there he
experience prompted me to read the book on which the operated his own business and joined the FUNCINPEC
movie The Killing Fields is based. The book left me shocked. party, a Cambodian political movement that promotes free-
I was aghast that people could inflict such cruelty and pain dom and justice for its citizens.
on fellow human beings. Children were torn from the arms Osman went on to explain his support of the
of their mothers; wives and husbands were separated with no International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) and the
hope of a reunion. I could hardly imagine the suffering Seventh-day Adventist Church’s mission to promote reli-
Q
gious tolerance and basic human dragged away, while on his knees pray-
rights, and said that he hoped to share ing, and killed. I sensed sadness as he
ideas from this congress with his gov- spoke of his father; I could only imag- Questions for
ernment upon his return. “Everyone in ine his pain.
Cambodia is encouraged to join a reli- At the end of our conversation
Reflection
gion, because I believe that religions Osman extended an invitation for the or for Use in Your
help maintain peace in a country,” he Adventist Church to open schools in Small Group
said. his country. “Educating children about
1. Cite three examples (at
In fact, Osman helped Walter rereg- tolerance and respect begins at the
least one from recent news
ister the Adventist Church in 1993. lowest levels,” Osman said. Then he
releases) that show how reli-
“Our only Adventist church in asked me to visit his country and gave
gious and political bigotry poi-
Cambodia was bulldozed to the ground me his personal contact information.
sons societies that nurture it.
during the tragic history of the Khmer I’d like to meet him and his wife again,
2. How do knowledge and
Rouge and our members slaughtered, if only to share the message of our lov-
SUNSET / PHOTO © PHOTODISC
understanding serve to break

except for three individuals who sur- ing Savior and His plan for us.
down prejudice?
vived and fled,” said Walter. The new I’ve thought a lot about Osman’s
3. Brainstorm at least five
Cambodian constitution guarantees words, his gentle expression, and his
strategies that your congrega-
religious freedom. warmth since meeting him. Though
tion, or you as an individual,
worlds apart in our religious beliefs,
could use to break down preju-
Bridging the Past culture, language, and experiences, I
dice in your community.
Curious to understand Osman’s sup- came away from this encounter with a
4. Why, for more than 100
port and desire to promote religious greater understanding of the opportu-
AT
years, have Adventists been in

A N G K O R WA T
freedom in his country, I inquired more nity we have to impact the people we
the forefront of the struggle to
deeply about his reasons. He told me come into contact with. I hope I left
preserve the religious freedoms
how his own father, also a Muslim, was the undersecretary with a more posi-
of people around the world?
OF
What are you doing to aid in

SILHOUETTE
that struggle?
His father was

dragged away,
while praying,
and killed.
PHOTO © AP PHOTO / RICHARD VOGEL
A NEW FRIENDSHIP: The author and Ismail Osman share a smile at the conference for reli-
gious freedom.
tive impression of the Seventh-day circumstances. Ultimately, reflecting

Adventist Church, its members, and Jesus’ love is the only thing that will
what it stands for. truly break down prejudice and win
Jesus’ words “Thou shalt love thy the hearts of those who don’t know
neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 19:19) Him.
remind me that in a world torn apart
by hatred, bigotry, and violence, there Viola Hughes is United Nations liaison
are people who cultivate love and tol- special assistant for the Public Affairs and
erance, even in the most forbidding Religious Liberty Department.
B I B L E Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R E D
tionally disturbed after betraying Jesus that he hanged him-
The Bible self (Matt. 27:5). Samson took his own life in battle against
the enemy (Judges 16:29, 30). After the earthquake the
Philippian jailer concluded that the prisoners had escaped,
and Suicide and out of fear attempted to kill himself, but Paul persuaded
him to the contrary (Acts 16:26-28).
2. Comments on the Biblical Materials: From the incidents
listed above we notice several things.
First, most of the suicides took place in the context of
war, in which self-killing is the result of fear or shame.
O
ne of my best friends committed suicide. Second, other cases are more personal and reflect, besides
Since then I have wondered what the Bible fear, a low self-image. All of them take place in the context
says about the topic. of a highly emotional state of mind.
Suicide is usually defined as the taking of Third, suicide is mentioned without passing any judg-
one’s own life. The emotional scars left to ment on the morality of the action. That does not mean
family and friends are deep and produce not only feelings of that it is morally right; it indicates that the biblical writer
loneliness but particularly a sense of guilt and disorienta- is simply describing what took place.
tion. In attempting to provide some guidance in answer- The moral impact of suicide is addressed
ing your question, I must limit my comments to the fol- through a biblical understanding of human life:
lowing brief observations. God created it, and we are not the owners, to use
Let’s first distinguish between suicide and martyr- it and dispose of it as we please; the sixth com-
dom, which is the willingness to surrender mandment has something to say about the
our lives for fundamental convictions and topic. Therefore, a Christian should not con-
values that we hold nonnegotiable—and sider suicide a morally valid solution to the
heroic acts of self-sacrifice that result in predicament of living in a world of physi-
the preservation of other lives (a soldier cal and emotional pain.
throws himself or herself on a grenade 3. Comments and Suggestions: How
to save others). While suicide is funda- then should we relate to the suicide of a
mentally a denial of the value of our loved one?
present life, the final solution to a life First, psychology and psychiatry have
perceived as unbearable, those other cases revealed that very often suicide is the
are expressions of respect and love for life. result of profound emotional upheaval or
I will list the cases of suicide or biochemical imbalances associated with a deep
attempted suicide recorded in the Bible, state of depression and fear. We should not pass
draw some conclusions, and make some judgment on the person who, under those cir-
general comments. cumstances, opted for suicide.
1. Cases of Suicide in the Bible: Second, God’s justice takes into consideration
Abimelech, mortally wounded by a the intensity of our troubled minds; He under-
millstone thrown at him by a woman, stands us better than anyone else. We must place
asked his armor-bearer to kill him to escape the future of our loved ones into His loving
shame (Judges 9:54). Saul, after being hands.
seriously wounded in battle, killed himself Third, with God’s assistance we can face guilt in
(1 Sam. 31:4). Seeing what the king did, the a constructive way. Keep in mind that often those
armor-bearer “fell on his own sword and died who commit suicide needed professional help that
with him” (verse 5, NIV). This was moti- most of us were unable to provide.
vated by fear of what the enemy would do Finally, if you are ever tempted to commit suicide,
to them. Ahithophel, one of the counselors there are medications that can help overcome depres-
of king Absalom, hanged himself after realiz- sion, there are friends who love you and would do all
ing that the king had rejected his advice they can to help you, and there is a God who is will-
(2 Sam. 17:23). Zimri became king after a ing to work with you and through others to sustain
coup d’état, but realizing that the people you as you walk through the valley of death. Never
did not support him he went into “the give up hope!
citadel of the royal palace and set the
palace on fire around him,” killing himself Angel Manuel Rodríguez is director of the Biblical
(1 Kings 16:18, NIV). Judas was so emo- Research Institute of the General Conference.
A D V E N T I S T W O R L D R A D I O
KIRSTEN ØSTER-LUNDQVIST
Trekking in Thailand
M
ichael’s eyes smiled knowingly. He knew of of national costumes and a multitude of languages filled the
Adventist World Radio (AWR) and had conference center. The interviews collected at the service
heard our broadcasts. As the translator projects were highlighted daily at the conference.
introduced our team Michael’s face lit up AWR’s president, Ben Schoun, and Asia-Pacific Region
when he heard the words “Adventist World director, Akinori Kaibe, arrived to join me in presenting two
Radio.” seminars about AWR’s mis-
Michael was one of the sion and how radio ministry
reasons I had trekked out to works for a global audience.
this remote place, in the As a producer for AWR’s
midst of a group of school- global programs in English, I
children in a refugee camp had the task of describing
in Thailand, an unusual our philosophy and what
place to meet AWR listen- type of programs AWR
ers. This was the reason broadcasts. Our approach is
AWR broadcasts in lan- a deliberate choice of not
guages that most of us in the preaching, but rather, shar-
West don’t even know exist: ing in a format we call “gos-
people such as Michael need siping the gospel.” The
to hear the voice of hope. gospel is shared through tes-
As a producer, I was hum- timonies, features, travel-
bled. To bring hope to peo- ogues, and health programs.
ple is the reason for AWR’s Because radio work has
existence. changed dramatically as a
I was in Thailand on ON THE STREET: AWR producer Kirsten Øster-Lundqvist interviews a result of digital technology,
assignment: the Adventist volunteer taking part in the World Conference on Youth and the focus of producing radio
Church’s Youth Department Community Service held recently in Thailand. programs has shifted from a
had invited young people predominant need for tech-
from around the world to serve for 10 days in various com- nical knowledge to an emphasis on creativity and journalis-
munity outreach projects. So while the rest of my coworkers tic skills. This makes it possible to sit at your computer at
enjoyed Christmas dinner at home, I found myself in home and produce radio programs. Hearing this information
Thailand, visiting service projects and recording interviews at the seminar, several delegates showed an interest in join-
with volunteers. ing AWR’s International Correspondents program. They will
Some of the remote places chosen for projects required now be able to make a significant contribution to AWR’s
hiking into the jungle to meet the youth. Other locations work from wherever they live in the world. They are becom-
meant driving on a dirt road that challenged our four-wheel- ing part of the voice of hope.
drive vehicle. Yet whichever project I visited, I came across The next couple months will see a variety of features and
young people excited to do something for others. As I testimonies from the trip to Thailand in AWR program-
trekked around recording the stories of more than 500 youth ming, including Network 7 News, which is aired on the
from around the world who came to Thailand to serve, I majority of Adventist FM radio stations across the United
didn’t even miss my traditional Christmas celebration, for States. It is also possible to listen on the Internet at
what I saw were youth living the Christmas message in a http://english.awr.org/n7n/.
practical manner.
Following the service projects, the General Conference
Youth Department hosted a youth conference in Bangkok. Kirsten Øster-Lundqvist produces programming for Adventist
Approximately 1,300 people attended, and a colorful display World Radio.
R E F L E C T I O N S
DICK RENTFRO
They Will Stand
H
e was in the depths of a deep forest, hunting Reformation swept away the rites of the Catholic Church,
with little success, when a large grouse flut- leaving the simple message of “the just shall live by faith.”
tered up from a spruce tree. He released an The stave churches took on a new meaning. The essential
arrow, and a moment later heard a metallic corner posts were said to represent “the four Gospels, whose
sound, followed by the weak echo of a church teachings are the supporting foundation of all Christianity.”
bell. Had he come upon an enchanted bird? The beams upon which the columns rest came to signify the
The huntsman followed the sound cautiously, and deep in apostles. It was said that the floorboards represented “the
the forest he beheld his “prey”—a humble men who bow in honor; the
church. His arrow had glanced off a more they are exposed to the trampling
church bell. In keeping with the custom feet of the congregation, the more sup-
of the times, the huntsman made the port they provide.” Even the roof was
sign of the cross and recited, “In the said to “speak” the truth.
sacred Name of Jesus . . .” The stave churches resisted the attri-
This is the ancient Norwegian leg- tion of the centuries because of the
end of the “discovery” of the Heddal manner in which the columns, planks,
stave church in 1558. Heddal had and supports were joined. Rather than
been deserted since the Black Death being nailed or glued, they were dove-
swept through the country in the mid- tailed, pegged, and wedged, lending flex-
fourteenth century. The forest had ibility to the structure and allowing
invaded the valley, concealing its each joint to expand or contract in
church, farms, and the settlements for damp or dry weather.
nearly 200 years. A writer once described a stave
A stave church could not be built church weathering a storm: “In the
just anywhere. It demanded a high and afternoon the weather changed, and
open location, one that nature itself suddenly a . . . storm raged outside. It
had prepared: conspicuous and promi- creaked in the old church walls, as if
nent. Churches were to be placed on locations bearing the they were going to fall apart. It was as if each and every
special imprint of God the Creator—on a peninsula, over- plank in the stave construction would slide out of its place-
looking a fjord, or at the turn of a river. ment, break its very framework of masts and sills, and bury
When the huntsman came upon the small, single-nave everything beneath the vacillating columns. . . . But little by
stave church and saw its pentice and magnificent west portal little the raging wind blew more fitfully, became constant.
dating from the second half of the twelfth century, he real- . . . Although the storm increased rather than declined, soon
ized it was just as the priest and his congregation had left it no sound was heard in the church walls because the entire
in the 1300s. structure had settled and was now steeled and strengthened
But other stave churches existed—and my Viking heart in the midst of the storm.”
sought to seek them out during a recent trip to Norway, the The sun was shining as we flew back to the twenty-first
birthplace of my maternal grandfather. Some stave churches century, but my mind was on a storm—a storm that will
date to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Once 900 of soon test another church whose eternal corner posts are
these “dark passages of wood” greeted traders and pilgrims as rooted in the Reformation. The winds will rage, and the
they journeyed through the rugged countryside. Today less foundations will tremble. But they will stand. Yes, they will
than 50 remain. stand.
Our five-place Cessna floatplane bounced over the lush
valleys and craggy mountains to photograph the best pre- Dick Rentfro, a retired minister, writes from
served of them, the Borgund stave church, which stands as a Thorpe, Washington.
crown jewel in the narrow valley at the head of the Son
fjord.
In the seventeenth century the fresh air of the

A Conversation With General Conference President Jan Paulsen

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Conversation With General Conference President Jan Paulsen

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Conversation With General Conference President Jan Paulsen

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

March 11, 2004

A conversation with General Conference president Jan Paulsen

I was blessed by “The Beatitudes Photo: Global Mission.

something that has not been men-

Publisher General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Publishing Board: Jan Paulsen, chair; Ted N. C. Wilson,

Editor William G. Johnsson

Consulting Editors: Jan Paulsen, Matthew Bediako,

Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

You Can Do Something

& the longer she prayed,

We were staying one weekend with our 6-year-old granddaughter, Isabelle,

“I also have wishes for the

the church. The

church has no life

In terms of building up the church,

of their church. It’s a process that usu-

ally stretches over a protracted period,

its way. It seems to me that the

ing reflection for the church.

tant. But I believe that spirituality is

nurtured in an environment that is

ALICIA WORLEY DE PALACIOS

Only Just Begun

D his soup bowl and turning it over. Delighted

prodding of Hilda and Pastor Torres, moved his uncle to

J My sister Katherine hugged me as we sat huddled in

fied, sure that one more gigantic

Working Hand in Hand in Mali

South Pacific Adventist Dominican Union officials decided at a recent session,

Too Busy for Church?

Global Mission Prayer Ministry

around and find true that the

line and wait—no you move

matter how long it from a local

Homer Trecartin is the sec-

Culturally and religiously worlds apart, we share a commitment to freedom.

understanding serve to break

years, have Adventists been in

What are you doing to aid in

His father was

tive impression of the Seventh-day circumstances. Ultimately, reflecting

tionally disturbed after betraying Jesus that he hanged him-

They Will Stand

You might also like