Christians

More documents

Recommendations

Info

World News & Perspectives photo: Ansel Oliver/Adventist News Network MORNING MESSAGE: Adventist Church president Ted N. C. Wilson delivers the Sabbath sermon at Annual Council, October 12, 2013, at the Adventist Church’s world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. ■■WORLD CHURCH Consistent, Expressive Faith Called for in Annual Council Messages 1888 message recalled; Wilson emphasizes communication of gospel By MARK A. KELLNER, news editor One hundred twenty-five years after the Seventh-day Adventist Church began its focus on righteousness by faith, global leaders of the 17-million-member movement gathered to hear calls for consistent, expressive faith in the merits of Jesus. The weekend commenced October 11, 2013, with an evening program that celebrated the 1888 General Conference session and its focus on Christ’s righteousness. “Jesus has become my sufficiency,” declared Ganoune Diop, an Adventist theologian and scholar who serves as the church’s liaison to the United Nations. Raised in Senegal, West Africa, Diop contrasted the faith of his childhood with his adult Christian belief in a Lord who died to redeem broken and sinful humanity. Shawn Brace, a young adult pastor from Maine, gave a brief but powerful testimony of being raised in an Adventist home where his parents consistently focused on the righteousness of Christ. “When we fall in love with Jesus, obedience becomes a delight,” Brace said. Artur Stele, a general vice president of the church and director of its Biblical Research Institute, focused on the Old Testament narrative of Mephibosheth, the son of King David’s friend Jonathan, to draw parallels with the mercy and grace extended to broken human beings through Jesus. Lael Caesar, an associate editor of Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines, used the Luke 17 story of Jesus healing 10 lepers to underline that it is God who does the work of salvation and healing in human lives: “What did these guys do to cleanse themselves? ‘As they went along, they were cleansed.’ Remember the lepers and let go of the burden and anxiety and stress. Take Jesus at His word: ‘As they went, they were cleansed.’ ” The balance of the Friday evening meeting was devoted to reports of evangelism from the eastern United States and the NY13 effort covering New York City and neighboring areas in New Jersey and Connecticut. Church leaders reported a total of nearly 4,100 bap- 8 (1000) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
tisms and 31 new congregations established as results of the yearlong campaign. On Sabbath morning, October 12, the church leaders and delegates turned to worship, prayer, and reflection. Speaking to a capacity crowd of more than 450 in the General Conference auditorium, General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson emphasized a call to “communicate God’s truth in love and illuminate the earth with God’s glory.” He noted the pressures of the age that tempt <strong>Christians</strong> to abandon Bible teaching. “There are those in the church and outside the church who wish to change the very beliefs we have held sacred and change the character of the Seventh-day PHOTO: Edwin Manuel Garcia/Adventist News Network SONG LEADERS: J. Alfred Johnson, North American Division Personal Ministries director, and his wife, Paula, lead singing of the closing hymn, “Seeking the Lost,” at Annual Council on Sabbath, October 12. different message than we intend by how we personally use the Internet, by what we watch on television, by what we wear, by how we use our time, by what kind of music we listen to, or by our worship style?” Wilson appealed to members and leaders to adopt thoughtful, reflective elements in worship: “Recognizing the world is full of various cultures, let’s worship in simplicity and in truth, using the Word of God and aligning ourselves with the culture of heaven.” As members and leaders of the world church paired off two by two for prayer, Wilson challenged his hearers to rededicate themselves to Christian service and proclamation: “As we come to the end of time, realizing the devil is making every effort to confuse our message and mission, let us rest firmly on God’s Word and promises to make us truly His messengers.” n photo: Ansel Oliver/Adventist News Network ready for translation: A language interpreter assists Annual Council delegates who are listening to him on earphones in the Adventist world church headquarters auditorium. Adventist Church itself—people who want to turn the grace of God into something vile, thus denying Jesus Himself, even though they pretend to lift up His name,” Wilson warned. “As we communicate truth to those who do not know Christ, we must guard against the world entering the church, [and] neutralizing its mission.” Wilson also urged Adventists to examine the integrity of their witness: “Are we communicating to the world a ■■WORLD CHURCH Adventist Church Web Site Redesign Unveiled Leaders hope unified look will strengthen brand By Edwin Manuel Garcia, Adventist News Network The Seventh-day Adventist Church unveiled a major redesign to its Web site October 16, and urged regional leaders to make similar upgrades to ensure the church has a more consistent global online identity. The content of the site has also shifted to address a new audience: The non-Adventist public, as distinct from church members. Adventist.org contains most of the same information as before, but it’s now presented in a more modern, graphically oriented look, and is accessible in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. “What begins as a relationship with a Web site can lead to a relationship with a brand; the research tells us this,” Garrett Caldwell, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists’ associate Communication Department director for public relations, told Executive Committee members of the 2013 General Conference Annual Council in Silver Spring, Maryland. “And if people can get to the point where they can trust a brand,” Caldwell added, “then they will want to know the product, and the product of the Seventhday Adventist Church is every life that has been transformed by the message that we’ve been given and the God we serve.” www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1001) 9
Page 1: www.adventistreview.org November 14
Page 4 and 5: 1888 inbox Letters From Our Readers
Page 6 and 7: Editorials Lael Caesar Xenophobia a
Page 10 and 11: World News & Perspectives The redes
Page 12 and 13: World News & Perspectives » News C
Page 15 and 16: Searching the Obvious Know-and-Tell
Page 17 and 18: It’s adventurous —and it’s Go
Page 19 and 20: Christ’s Method Alone BY JIM AYER
Page 21 and 22: had was environmental in nature. I
Page 23 and 24: Introducing the Why The Fight of Ou
Page 25 and 26: of Creation. However, shamayim here
Page 27 and 28: GLOW Stories Giving light to our wo
Page 29 and 30: Celebrating 25 years of music minis
Page 31: Reflections Stuck @ 60 The summer m

Christians

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?