News for March 2008

 

Barrington Brennen Conducts Relationship Conference At Antillean Adventist University

 

March 24 to 30, 2008, was an exciting time on the campus of Antillean Adventist University, Puerto Rico.  Barrington Brennen, Family Ministries Director of The Bahamas Conference, conducted a Relationship Conference for the students and faculty.  The topics over the six days covered the issues of forgiveness, pornography, abuse, dating, homosexuality, sexual purity, and marriages.  Below are photos from the Sabbath morning service.  Click on photos to enlarge.

Pastor Brennen speaking on Sabbath morning at Adventist University in Puerto Rico	Demond Sturrup, religion major, introduces Pastor Brennen
Pastor Brennen with translator	Hundreds attended the seminars
	Students
	Students perform using American sign language
	Desmond plays for fellow Bahamian, Krystle Hepburn, from Grand Bahama
Dr. Merna Costa (left), Universtiy president and Erick Mendiata, University Church pastor, thank Pastor Brennen for coming to conduct the Conference

 

 

 

Adventism Around the World

 

From a humble beginning in New England the Adventist Church has spread around the world with 16 million members located in more than 100 countries. Today the church is facing challenges in every part of the world. The following stories from our archives give a sample of the tapestry of Adventism. 

Korea: Grace Through Suffering
http://www.adventistreview.org/2003-1502/story1.html

Changing Times in Great Britain
http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1506/story2.html

Remember Grenada -- and Ivan the Terrible
http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1546/story1.html

Romania: Uniquely Adventist
http://www.adventistreview.org/2005-1506/story1.html

Drive in Church: Amsterdam’s Ghanaian Adventists
http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1542/story2.html

Turkey: In Search of People
http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1530/story3.html

Blooming in the Heart of Thailand
http://www.adventistreview.org/2003-1524/story1.html


Breaking Church News

For Arabs, Adventist TV Finally Speaks Their Language
http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=1766
Volunteers proclaim the gospel in Arabic.

World Health Leaders Tout Merits of Vegetarian Diet
http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=1767
The International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition draws 700 attendees.


 

"Noah, the Ark, and the Flood"

 

Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church Children's Drama, Sunday, April 27, 2008, National Center for the Performing Arts, Nassau, The Bahamas. Producer, Tamika Davis is planning a grand adventure for the entire family. Plan to attend this grand event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baptism at Landrail Point Photos

[March 26, 2008] Pastor Valentino Campbell, conducted a two-week campaign and had a baptism of two precious souls.  See photos below.   Click on photos to enlarge.

Pastor Campbell baptizing in Landril Point beautiful waters
The members watch the baptims	Many members, visitors, and friends, packed the Landrail Point Seventh-day Adventist Church to hear Pastor Valentino Campbell

 

This Week’s Devotion

March 24, 2008
By Patrice Williams-Gordon

Mistaken Identity

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36 KJV

Have you ever been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time? For some it has proven only to be a minor inconvenience while sadly, for some others it has been a fatal mistake. Somewhere in between these two extremes lies the predicament of a friend of mine, Joel.

His team had been busy refurbishing the basement of a mental institution in Brooklyn New York and they were now approaching the end of the project. Customarily, he brought a sack lunch on which he would dine in a corner of the large room amid the rubble. However, today was different! Nearing the completion of the project, almost in a celebratory mood, he decided to explore the institution’s cafeteria, which was located on the fifth floor. On his return trip to the basemen, he absent-mindedly exited the elevator on the wrong floor and soon found himself wandering in strange environment. It was not long before a staff member noticed his uninvited presence. “Where are you going?” he was sternly asked. Trying to conceal his embarrassment at being lost, Joel candidly replied, “I seemed to have gotten off on the wrong floor, I am completing a maintenance job in the basement.” Nothing could have prepared him for the reply, “ Sir, I have heard that one before, You patients try every possible trick to get away.” Nothing he did or said would convince the orderly of his genuine dilemma; he was restrained and locked away for ‘safe keeping’. A few hours and a couple phone calls later, he was declared free. Mistaken identity!

Christians sometimes find themselves in similar predicaments. Life seems to be going according to plan, then without warning, a simple mistake lands you in unfamiliar surroundings. Before you can catch your bearings, circumstances and people seem to retain you in this strange location. It may have been an unplanned pregnancy, a few social drinks, the wrong friends, stealing, lying or any of Satan’s other traps. First, he exposes your weakened character then advertises you as a committed sinner. You try to explain that you really do not belong there but your pleas are denied in the face of your current position. Efforts to rescue yourself prove futile and very soon you find yourself buried beneath the condemnation of your own guilt and the low expectations of your new companions. It becomes easy to give up hope of ever finding your way back.

However, as in Joel’s experience, yours is a case of mistaken identity. Satan’s claim over your

Patrice Williams-Gordon is a motivational speaker, founder and president of Deliberate Living, a Christian, motivational and inspirational organization.  She is married to Pastor Danhugh Gordon, and a mother of two lovely, energetic daughters.  See her web site at www.deliberatelivingnow.com   Contact: deliberate_living@yahoo.com

life is a lie; you do not belong where you have wandered. You may have been isolated from the fellowship of your brethren for sometime, but do not yield to despair. Do not allow your current location to define you. Jesus is waiting just outside the door of your present confinement and he has the keys. Listen for His call and answer. You are a child of the King, a heir to the kingdom, a witness to the world of the saving power of Jesus.

Dear Jesus, help me to hear your voice of forgiveness over the deafening condemnation of my mistakes and circumstances. Thank you for being a present help in time of trouble.
 

Pentecost and More News

You can watch Pentecost and More live online from Kingston, Jamaica, on Sabbath beginning at 10:30 a.m. DST, on Hope TV.  Click HERE to Listen to the Pentecost and More theme song.  Pastor Israel Leito, president of the Inter-American Division will be preaching.  Read more

This Week's Devotion

By Patrice Williams-Gordon, March 14, 2008

Who is your God?

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Ps 46:10 (New International Version)

The Story of Elijah on Mount Carmel brings to mind a trial; On the one hand, we have the multitude of Israelites and their god, Baal, while on the other hand, we have a lone prophet and his God, Jehovah. After a long day of presenting the case, the verdict is ready and despite all the efforts of the idolatrous Israelites, the evidence, in the form of a consuming fire, vindicates the name of the true God, Jehovah.

To some modern-day Christians, the shouting, dancing, begging and cajoling of Baal by his followers, may seem amusing, however, against the backdrop of all Jehovah had done for the children of Israel, it was not only ridiculous but also blasphemous. 

Sadly however, history repeats itself daily in many of our lives. Every morning as the sunlight dispels the darkness and we face the new day, the universe watches eagerly as we place our cares and challenges on the alter of life:

·        bills to be paid

·        relationships to be mended

·        dreams to be actualized

·        physical maladies to be cured

·        besetting sins to be overcome

·        fear

·        anger

and the list goes on.

What then is our next move? Do we call on God then proceed to shout at Him when He does not respond the way we expect? Do we anxiously dance around, begging and pleading as if our god is gone on a far journey? Maybe we even cut ourselves, using means of self-denial to demonstrate how serious we are about getting His attention. Do we further hurt ourselves by devising ingenious alternatives, incase He needs our assistance? Do we bite our nails and wring our hands in anxiety that maybe He is too busy and may not get around to responding in time? If this has been our experience, maybe we are seeking the wrong god! 

Jehovah, requires only that you lay your burdens on the alter, acknowledge that He alone is God, then, Be still! In our stillness, we will come to know the abiding presence of a God who never leaves us alone. We will sense His wisdom and power to make all things new and make a way out of nowhere. In our stillness, we will recognize and accept that all our efforts amount to nothing yet He loves us beyond comprehension. It is while we stand still, that He sends undeniable evidence that He is the one True and Living God, by completely consuming every trace of our burdens.

Patrice Williams-Gordon is a motivational speaker, founder and president of Deliberate Living, a Christian, motivational and inspirational organization.  She is married to Pastor Danhugh Gordon, and a mother of two lovely, energetic daughters.  See her web site at www.deliberatelivingnow.com   Contact: deliberate_living@yahoo.com

Therefore, the next time a new day rolls around, and you place your burdens before God, remember the words of Joshua “Choose you this day whom you will serve…..”. I pray you will choose Jehovah, the only true God and “Be Still”.   © Copyright Patrice Williams-Gordon 2008

Adventist World News

For March 11, 2008, From the Adventist News Network

Full court press: Adventist basketball team has law on its side
March 7, 2008
Portland, Oregon, United States ... [ Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN ]
 

The Sabbath-keeping men's basketball team at Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado plays Mile High Academy at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Instead of playing state tournament games, many of which fall on Friday nights and Saturdays, the team heads to Adventist-owned Union College to play in a local championship game. [photo: courtesy Campion Academy]

Susan Long cheered courtside as her son Jeremy scored 19 points on the Portland Adventist Academy basketball court Thursday night, February 28, helping secure his team's first Oregon state playoffs win in five years.

"I was just happy to play in the tournament no matter what the outcome. Not very many Cougars have gotten to do that," says Jeremy, a freshman guard for the team. "But I still wanted to win," he adds with an abashed laugh.

Afterward, the locker room pulsed with blue-and-yellow jersey-clad Cougars, Jeremy says -- mostly because of the win, but also in celebration of a victory in another court: a recent ruling by the state's highest court rescheduled the game so the Cougars could play.

Since 2002, the boys' basketball team at Seventh-day Adventist-owned PAA has dominated the court, but players' religious convictions led the Cougars to forfeit Class 3A boys' tournament games every season. Consistently scheduled for Friday nights and Saturday afternoons, the games conflicted with Biblical Sabbath-keeping.

In 1996, a group of Cougars' parents began working toward a legal solution. Soon thereafter, a lower court first required the Oregon State Activities Association -- which regulates high school sports for the state -- to accommodate PAA players when scheduling games.

Parents and players assumed the ruling would apply in 1997. It didn't. A similar injunction in 2002 proved equally short-lived. But because the February 15 injunction comes from the Oregon Supreme Court, Mrs. Long finds reason to believe it may require the OSAA to respect Sabbath-keeping athletes' religious convictions beyond this season. "I'm hopeful they'll make it permanent."

PAA Cougars coach for eight years, Lance Judd, is more cautious. He says after playing in the 2002 tournament, it was especially "hard to take" when the OSAA blocked the Cougars from the next postseason. He doesn't want to set his guys up for another disappointment.

If the Cougars have to drop out next year, "Sure, it'll be tough," Judd says, "but our players have always just enjoyed the game. We'll know ahead of time how far we can play into the schedule, and whatever happens, we'll enjoy it for what it is."

Jeremy's older brother, Jonathan Long, agrees, but says players never fully rebound after forfeiting a tournament. "It's gonna be worth it whether you end up going to state or not, but it's pretty disappointing to work extremely hard and then just be completely shut down," he says.

Jonathan would know -- he played for the Cougars from '02-'06 and was named Northwest League Player of the Year his senior year at PAA when the Cougars' 24-1 record ranked them undefeated in their league. Now he plays for an independent varsity basketball team at Adventist-owned Walla Walla University in College Place, Washington. He says the PAA saga, already gone far into overtime in the minds of many Cougars' players and parents, isn't likely to end this season.

"A lot of people think this is finally it, but in 2002 everyone thought the same thing." He pauses, then adds, "I desperately hope I'm wrong."

At Adventist-owned Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado, Troy Beans, in his 18th year as athletic director and basketball coach for the school, sends his players to a championship game at Adventist-owned Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska instead of shooting legal hoops with Colorado state athletics officials.

With their 34-1 record and league sportsmanship awards for the past four years, Campion players are well respected and probably could have worked out a solution with the Colorado High School Activities Association, Beans says. In fact, he called local high schools to find out if rescheduling games would be possible. "They were all very favorable. They said, 'Absolutely, we'll work it out. We'll make sure you don't have to play on Sabbath.'"

Academy administration bucked the idea of going to state -- the launch of baseball season and a mission trip scheduled for the tournament weekend were among the reasons. Beans respects the decision. But he's concerned by the negative stereotypes he says some church members hold toward Adventist athletes and competitive sports. "They think there's just going to be a lot of anger, rivalries and trash talking." But Beans believes Christian coaches can use sports to ingrain some deep spiritual lessons in their players.

Beans says Campion players pray with the opposing team center court after every game. Even at public high schools, he says a hush sweeps the gym. "We might not be preaching sermons," Beans says, "but I believe we're witnessing. If you've treated somebody badly out there, your prayer's gonna come off awfully hypocritical at the end of the game."

Back at PAA, Mrs. Long says prayer also capped the Cougars' loss to Cascade Christian High School Saturday night, March 1. "You just heard this resounding 'amen' echo across the gym afterward."

Playing for PAA sharpened his character as much as his skills on the court, Jonathan says. "You have to show a lot of backbone in dealing with the Sabbath issue."

Jonathan's mom wishes some church members were more concerned by what she believes is the religious discrimination her sons and other Sabbath-keeping athletes face. "Whether you agree with competitive sports is not the issue here," she says. "This is a Sabbath issue."

Long and other PAA parents welcomed support from the Adventist world church's Office of General Counsel, which recently signed a brief filed by the American Jewish Congress on behalf of students facing Sabbath conflicts.

"Our involvement is more focused on the legal principles at stake in the case," says Robert E. Kyte, General Counsel for the Adventist Church. "We're not arguing the rightness or wrongness of competitive sports."

When the Cougars lace up their high tops next season, there are no guarantees tournament games will skirt the Sabbath hours. But for now, even disappointed former players have found something to cheer this season. "I have to say it was bittersweet to see them go to state, because I wasn't able to all those years," Jonathan says. "But it's a little easier to swallow because I have a little brother out there who got to play."

For Jeremy, "It was, like, awesome!"


World health leaders tout merits of vegetarian diet
March 11, 2008,  Loma Linda, California, United States ... [ Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN ]
 

A plant-based diet may be the best way to protect health and the environment, researchers said last week at a conference on vegetarian nutrition hosted by Loma Linda University. [photo: iStockphoto]

A vegetarian diet not only protects personal health, but may also help conserve the environment, world health leaders concluded at a conference on vegetarianism hosted by Seventh-day Adventist-owned Loma Linda University in California.

Organized 25 years ago by a group of largely Adventist health professionals, the International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition drew more than 700 attendees this year. Adventists helped establish the benefits of a vegetarian diet, which prior to 1950 was viewed with "great skepticism." They continue to pioneer research in the area of healthy living, said Dr. Allan Handysides, director of the church's department of Health Ministries.

Handysides, who also presented at the Adventist Nutrition Conference held in conjunction with the March 4 to 6 Fifth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, said while health traditionally prompts most Adventist vegetarians, other factors -- among them climate change and animal rights -- are now leading consumers to eschew meat.

"These aren't bad reasons, but those who become vegetarians for a cause are often not as generally health-conscious," Handysides said, explaining that Adventist vegetarians are likely to also regularly exercise, shun controlled substances and drink plenty of water, giving them a health edge.

Regardless of the reason, evidence does suggest downing spinach, soybeans and other plant-based foods may be the best way to "go green." Presenters said meat-based diets are likely not sustainable because they pollute the environment and deplete natural resources.

"Food stores have already diminished to all-time lows," Handysides said, "Feeding the world's burgeoning population is becoming a big problem." To grow one pound of vegetable protein, it takes one tenth of the water and energy required to raise an equal amount of animal protein, he explained.

"We'd be mad to expect the entire world's population to suddenly embrace a vegetarian diet, but if we can convince most to switch to a vegetarian diet twice a week, we could make a sizeable impact," Handysides said. "And it's an achievable goal."

Presenters also debated the merits of a vegan diet. Vegans -- vegetarians who also ditch eggs, milk, cheese and often animal byproducts such as gelatin and honey -- are typically thinner and have lower cholesterol than vegetarians, presenters said. However, preliminary studies indicate overall mortality rates for vegans may be slightly higher. Handysides suspects some vegans may not fortify their diets to ensure an adequate intake of vitamin B-12 and calcium.

"You can't just say, 'A vegan diet is superior to all other categories.' What you can say, however, is that a vegetarian diet is superior to a diet of flesh-consuming," he said.

Handysides, sharing his findings on the benefits of chocolate, said one ounce of dark chocolate -- that with a pure cocoa content of 75 percent or higher -- promotes better blood flow to the heart and brain in the elderly. The "very protective" antioxidants in chocolate are, however, masked in milk chocolate and other diluted forms of cocoa, he said.

Berries and nuts got resounding endorsements from presenters, who reported that blueberries, raspberries and other colorful berries bolster the difficult-to-raise HDL, or "good" cholesterol levels.

Congress chair and LLU research physician Dr. Joan Sabati, who first discovered nuts decrease heart attack risk more than a decade ago, offered new specifics on the topic. He said adding a quarter of a cup of nuts to the diet four times a week can cut heart attack risk by 30 to 40 percent. Sabati's presentation also indicated that the brown papery coating found on nuts such as peanuts and almonds is the most nutritious part.

Dr. Peter Landless, an associate Health Ministries director for the Adventist Church, presented on alcohol abstinence, another hallmark of the Adventist lifestyle. He said despite evidence that limited alcohol reduces the risk of heart attack in the elderly, the alleged benefit does not offset the substance's myriad negative effects. So much as bringing alcohol into the home can drastically increase a child's likelihood of becoming an alcoholic, he said. In fact, the risk of addiction increases 40 percent if the child is introduced to alcohol before age 14.

Next year, Adventist health experts will meet in Geneva, Switzerland with representatives of the World Health Organization for the first International Lifestyle Conference.


Passing the plate: Global Tithe Index collects stats on Adventist giving March 5, 2008 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States ... [ Elizabeth Lechleitner/Adventist New Network]
 

Adventist businessman and pastor Claude Richli hopes his Global Tithe Index report will provide church treasurers and stewardship leaders with a tool to measure levels of giving among countries. This year's report indicates some previously dependent regions of the church are now achieving financial self-sufficiency. [photo: Beate Richli/ANN]

Yen, euros, rubles and francs -- the currencies members of the global Seventh-day Adventist Church use to return their tithes and offerings vary as widely as do their lifestyles and the financial footing of their respective countries.

All that incongruity begs for an evenhanded means to compare stewardship among church members and peg giving trends from country to country. Adventist pastor and businessman Claude Richli's third Global Tithe Index report, released this month, uses what he calls an "objective yardstick" to measure faithfulness and trace several positive developments in giving.

Here's how it works. By comparing each country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita with tithe per capita -- or how much the average Adventist returns in tithe every year -- the GTI formula accounts for currency exchanges and "huge economic disparities" among countries to indicate where the church is best supported, Richli says. A GTI ratio close to 1 suggests a country's members are by and large faithful.

Richli, who now directs marketing for the church's flagship journal, the Adventist Review, developed the formula in 2003 during his stint as associate executive secretary for the church's then newly-formed East-Central Africa region. There, promoting financial self-sufficiency in fledgling areas of the church became one of his primary concerns.

"I hadn't seen anything that levels the playing field before, and that's really the reason why I started doing these reports," Richli says of his first GTI report, completed in 2004. That report, and the two that have followed, are based on figures from the church's annual Statistical Report and other publicly available data.

While not yet an official church document, the report is a valuable resource for comparing levels of giving worldwide, says Gerry Karst, chair of the church's Use of Tithe Study Commission and a world church vice president. "Are people sacrificing at the same level? Are [they] giving at the same level? You can make those comparisons," he says.

Richli singles out statistics from Africa as one of the report's most notable trends. In many African countries long dogged by corrupt governments and hyperinflation, the church has found securing an economic toehold difficult. This year's figures suggest the situation is improving. Also positive are the figures from former communist countries, some of which are now lockstep with affluent Western countries, Richli says.

Between 2005 and 2006, global tithe returns increased 8.3 percent, and discounting the church's North American region, the jump was even more dramatic: 17.4 percent. "Certainly, the loss of value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies explains part of these changes, but in the case of Brazil, we have real improvement," Richli says -- despite the dollar losing 12 percent against Brazil's real, overall tithes grew by 25 percent. As the church's second largest contributor, growth in Brazil is particularly encouraging and, he says, suggests a broader "positive trend" in tithe returns that "continues to gain momentum" globally.

Figures from Mexico represent another "bright spot" in this year's report, Richi says. Following a 25 percent decrease in tithe returns for that country between 2002 and 2003, Mexican Adventists shrugged off the peso's 1 percent loss against the dollar to grow their country's tithe returns a "remarkable" 78.6 percent, Richli says.

Other Latin American countries, however, lag in tithe returns. Consider Peru's "very weak" GTI ratio of 47.3 percent and Belize at 13.3 on the same scale. Richli speculates large influxes of members into the church in South America may keep stewardship leaders scrambling to educate new Adventists on faithful giving, thus explaining the low faithfulness levels.

Because several factors can skew GTI ratios, Richli admits its accuracy is limited. In countries where Adventists are largely from lower classes -- because the church may be new and underdeveloped, or members may have faced discrimination -- comparing tithe per capita to GDP may inaccurately reflect faithfulness. The same is true in countries where members are predominantly women, young, or rural -- groups that Richli says often face economic disadvantages.

However, the report contradicts the idea that a country's economic status or the culture of its people should somehow predict faithfulness, Richli says, citing figures from the eastern African nation of Burkina Faso. "It's gone from 6.3 to 2.6 -- that's on par with Germany," he says. "And Burkina Faso is not necessarily a rich country. We need to find out what they're doing right there and see if it can be duplicated in other countries."

Despite the encouraging reports, Richli says countries under the umbrella of the church's East-Central Africa region, apart from Rwanda, show little progress. Improvements in Kenya and Ethiopia are minuscule, and other countries, such as Uganda, have backtracked.

"This is particularly disappointing as greater progress seems to take place in other parts of Africa," Richli says. Even Zimbabwe, he says, continues to improve its GTI ratio after a "tremendous jump" in 2005 -- from a GTI of 68.5 to 20.3.

Tremendous, in part, due to that year's membership audits, Richli says, explaining that thousands of former or inactive members were removed from official church tallies as a result. "It didn't impact tithe volume," Richli says, "but it certainly improved GTI ratios."

Still, improvements in Zimbabwe and other African countries should "go a long way toward dispelling the notion that low ratios cannot be achieved in Africa and that educating our members [about stewardship] there is too difficult," Richli says.


Doing time: A year at Adventist halfway house fuels transformation
March 4, 2008 Gainesville, Florida, United States ... [ Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN ]
 

Jeffery Cobb left a life of $70,000-a-night drug deals to help bring fellow former felons back into society. At Shelter in the Storm, the transition house he has run since 2001, residents learn responsibility by holding down jobs and following budgets. [photos: courtesy Shelter in the Storm]

A Shelter in the Storm resident trims grass at one of the nearly 200 Gainesville lawns maintained by former felons living at Cobb's transition house. The steady work helps fill the gap left by old habits, Cobb says. "If you don't put them to work, they're going to go right back to the only thing they know."

In his quiet Gainesville, Florida neighborhood, Jeffery Cobb is known as the guy who convinced a bunch of former felons to trade their guns for weed whackers, hedge trimmers and a whole lot of respect. The crew maintains nearly 200 area lawns every week working for Cobb's Eden Garden Lawn Service.

But the laidback Cobb doesn't just employ the ex-offenders -- he lives, eats and worships with them at Shelter in the Storm, the transition house he has run since 2001. Cobb says he couldn't be more comfortable; many of them are the same guys with whom he once cut lucrative drug deals and shared prison cells.

"I speak their language. I lived their culture," Cobb says. "Why shouldn't I invite them home?"

Cleveland Houser, who worked in the Tennessee Correctional System for 16 years as a Seventh-day Adventist psychiatric chaplain, says there are plenty of reasons -- fear, busyness and the stigma surrounding former offenders, to name a few.

"A lot of churches endorse the idea of transition houses, but frown upon the fruits -- former felons actually showing up at church," Houser says. "Or someone asking a church to start a support group for the families of inmates."

Sure, sharing a church pew with a guy out on parole can be unsettling, Houser acknowledges, but that doesn't license church members to shun former felons. "Jesus' last ministry on Earth was to prisoners. He was on 'death row,' you might say, between two thieves and he gave one of them hope."

Hope is what Cobb deals these days.

A former drug addict and felon, Cobb knows life after prison is tough and that the streets are often more welcoming than estranged family members and betrayed friends. With no positive references, he says many former felons find dodging bullets easier than cinching a job. That means most pass time in prison masterminding their next crimes.

That's exactly how Cobb spent more than two decades. "I never thought to quit. I used jail time to think up my next drug deals, because that was the only way I knew to survive once I got back on the street," Cobb says.

His older brother, one of Miami's most notorious drug dealers, introduced the then 15-year-old Cobb to cocaine and crime. Cobb remembers his brother's cohorts were in cahoots with corrupt police officers and judges. "We used to get high together."

Despite the unlikelihood of his arrest, someone -- "maybe God," Cobb says with a laugh -- finally tipped off an honest officer. Cobb landed behind bars at Miami County Jail on charges of selling drugs to students near school property. It wasn't long, he says, before he contracted a typical case of "jailhouse religion."

"I told God, 'If you get me out of here, I'll dedicate my life to you.' Of course I knew I'd go back to the only thing I knew -- I could make $70,000 a night selling drugs. Why would I go out and look for a job?"

He didn't. Cobb violated parole and went back to sniffing his typical $500 of cocaine a day. Three months later, he found himself back in prison.

"Jail isn't a deterrent," Cobb says. "But Jesus is."

While serving time at Gainesville Correctional Institute, Cobb remembers a fellow inmate convinced him to check out a Sabbath worship service offered by a Seventh-day Adventist prison ministries group.

"I told him, 'Church on Saturday? Are you out of your mind?'"

Still, Cobb says the services eventually impressed him to accept Christ. "It was no sudden bright light shining moment, like you hear some people say. I just felt filled with peace and calm and joy."

Cobb describes the transformation as a choice, one he encourages Shelter in the Storm residents to make for themselves. "If you're not ready for Jesus to change your life, you're wasting your time here," Cobb says. "A lot of these guys want to get off the streets, but they can't get jobs. If you don't put them to work, they're going to go right back to the only thing they know."

"This isn't a place where you come and just lay around doing nothing," says Jeffery Hunter, a former resident who now helps manage a local McDonald's restaurant. "You have to come with your mind made up to change."

The men at Shelter in the Storm are not pressured to become Adventists, but what they learn during daily devotions often makes an impression. Cobb says after six months at the house, one resident became an Adventist and took over teaching Sabbath school at the local church. Another, a 55-year-old blues singer, reconnected with his estranged wife after three months at Shelter in the Storm. "The whole family is going to church now."

During their year at Shelter in the Storm, Cobb connects each former felon with a local realtor, car salesman and potential employer so that when they leave, they'll have housing, transportation and employment.

Cobb admits the guys are getting a "pretty good deal," but says because they help out around the house, he won't be raising the rent or cutting back on services -- "Some of those guys can cook, man!" he says with a laugh.

Still, Hunter says, transitioning back into society isn't easy. "I let the new guys know what they're up against. These guys have battled drugs and crime for years and have left a lot of hurting people behind. I tell them, 'Don't come out expecting open arms. You're gonna have to work really hard to earn back trust and love, but it's possible.' It's all about giving them hope."

A few months ago, Cobb opened a second transition house, this one in Ocala, about 40 miles south of Gainesville. "Man, I'm having fun," he says. "I'm gonna do this until Jesus comes."


 

 

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World Religious News From Religion News Service

Adventist Review March 9, 2008

Bipartisan Religious Liberty Panel Urges Cuba to End Religious Repression
http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=1705#2
The panel wants Cuba to guarantee protection of religious expressions.

Study Links Subprime Mortgage Crisis to Hunger
http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=1705
The poorest counties in the US are the hardest hit.

Update: Benny Hinn Submits Records to Senate Committee
http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=1705#3
The committee is investigating six prominent ministries.

Canadian Court Sides With Breakaway Anglican Parishes
http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=1705#4
The court’s decision allows congregants to continue meeting in their churches.

 

 

F O C U S   O N   B A P T I S M

Adventist Review for March 8, 2008

Adventist Review Online explores the topic of baptism from several angles. The articles focus on the role baptism plays in the Christian journey, unusual issues pastors face as they prepare baptismal candidates, and some compelling baptismal stories. You'll also find the official baptismal vow
from the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual.

United in the Fellowship of Christ
http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1540/FirstSabbath.html
A message from General Conference President Jan Paulsen

Watering Down Baptisms
http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1505/story2.html
Is rebaptism the only avenue of grace?

Baptism for the Dead?
http://www.adventistreview.org/2002-1537/story4.html
Adventist Review columnist Angel Rodriguez explains 1 Corinthians 5:29

Stepping Off the Mound
http://www.adventistreview.org/2002-1538/story1.html
Trevor Bullock realized there were more important things in life than
baseball.

The Adventist Church's Official Baptismal Vow
http://www.adventistreview.org/2000-bulletin7/actions-proceedings.html
Voted at the 2000 General Conference session

Salty
http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1516/story3.html
A story of providential transformation
 

 

Bahamas Students at Antillean Adventist Univeristy
Universidad Adventista de las Antillas, Puerto Rico
Nine Bahamian students are currently enrolled at Antillean Adventist Univeristy, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico .  See the list below.  Desmond Sturrup is the student pastor for the English Church on campus.  He will be graduating in May with a degree in religion.  Barrington Brennen, Family Ministries Director, will be conducting a "More Abundant Relationship Conference at the University, March 24 to 30, 2008
Dominic Seymour       Spanish Major             New Providence Kendra Miller              Accounting Major        New Providence Desmond Sturrup       Theology Major           Grand Bahama Brendon Albury          Theology Major           Grand Bahama Daniella Harvey          Accounting Major       Grand Bahama Tammaliah Harvey     Nursing Major            Grand Bahama Krystle Hepburn         Nursing Major             Grand Bahama Kettlyne Durosca        Pre-Med & Nursing    Abaco Wonsha Joseph            Psychology                   Abaco

 

 

Pentecost and More

Photos from North Andros Crusade with Pastor Wendell McMillan

Lowe Sound Seventh-day Adventist Church	The people listen at the Lowe Sound Adventist Church
Pastor Wendell McMillan preaching during the opening night	Guests receive their certificates for Bible Study
Dr. Althea McMillan listens during the meeting

 

This Week's Devotion  By Patrice Williams-Gordon, March 5, 2008

Mist From a distance

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (RSV)

We were off to our regular morning walk but this time we chose a new walking path….several laps around the playfield of our university. As our walk progressed we exchanged ideas and traded stories of our experiences teaching in the class rooms that overlooked the playfield. Then our focus shifted to challenges we faced and those we feared, the pace of our walk slowing to reflect the tone of the conversation.

At the top of the track Carol, my walking partner, noticed a thick layer of mist at the other end of the track and wondered out loud “when did that get there?” to which I responded “It’s been there all morning” for I had noticed it even before we began. “Did we actually walk through that?’ she inquired. ‘Several times’ I replied. Her disbelief was difficult to conceal.

Then I thought, so many times in life the future, what lies ahead, seems so formidable and impenetrable. Our fears loom in the distance almost forbidding us to approach. Life seems shrouded in a thick mist, all in the distance. However with God beside, we can and have passed through the mist without even recognizing it.

We look on at challenges others have had to walk through, the death of a spouse, parent or child, the loss of a job, house or marriage; changes in health, financial security or status and we conclude that if we were walking that path we would never make it.

But take a look at where you have been before and it will reveal that you have already passed though ‘mist covered paths’. There are so many challenges which you have already faced,

Patrice Williams-Gordon is a motivational speaker, founder and president of Deliberate Living, a Christian, motivational and inspirational organization.  She is married to Pastor Danhugh Gordon, and a mother of two lovely, energetic daughters.  See her web site at www.deliberatelivingnow.com   Contact: deliberate_living@yahoo.com

 challenges you never thought possible to be handled by you and didn‘t the mist seem impenetrable before and even after? For my God has promised never to leave you or forsake you. Isaiah 43:2 says “When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you (RSV).

Have faith in your God, today His invitation is “Come, nothing will obscure your path today that can challenge my vision of your future.”