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JANUARY 2, 1992 ATLANTIC UNION CHAIN" GY: BOSTON'S CHINATOWN STONIA EN'S RETREAT GUEST PHILIP FOLLETT EDITORIAL JOIN THE PHILIP FOLLETT is president of the Atlantic Union Conference t's time to break the chains of tyranny! "6:15 Prayer Chain." In Korea, every member First the Berlin wall came down, then is urged to pray at 11:30 a.m. all of Eastern Europe broke free, and Janet Kangas, who works on the Sabbath now the USSR is experiencing a freedom School Mission Quarterly, decided that the 1unimagined three years ago. The chains have idea should be shared through the Sabbath been broken! Schools. She placed the "6:15" logo on the -I But God pictures a new chain being forged front cover of the Mission Quarterly, and around the world. Not chains of oppression. included a suggestion that people around the Not chains of tyranny. Not chains of evil world consider praying at the same time (some habits. at 6:15 a.m., others at 7:15 a.m., etc.) around Chains of praying people. the globe and around the clock. Hear it from the prophet: The issue is not the exact time when we pray, or the words or language in which we A chain of earnest, praying believers should pray. God's invitation is centered in our encircle the world . to pray for the Holy relation with Himself, not in our plans or Spirit. (Review and Herald, January 3, 1907). even in His work. He calls us to seek Him, and to open ourselves to the leading of His Five years ago, this vision was pursued by Spirit as we eagerly anticipate and live for His 4 Dave Wolkwitz, then a pastor in the Okla- second coming. About Our homa Conference. He envisioned a world- Our church groans under economic prob- Cover Photo wide fellowship of earnest, sincere believers lems, the loss of our youth, the slowness of Elder V. Eric Kotter daily praying for God to pour out His Spirit in and his wife, Bonnie, our mission accomplishments, the conflicts are standing in front unlimited power upon His people in prepa- and struggles among believers, the failures of of St. Basiil's ration for His soon return. Pastor Dave con- our Christian living, and the sluggishness of Cathedral in Red ducted seminars, urged people to form such our bureaucracy. Call it Laodicea. Square, Moscow, a chain, and suggested that they pray unit- The cure is not fancier slogans, harder during their trip last summer. edly at 6:15 a.m. work, or newer methods. The solution is to Since then, the idea has spread. In Michi- return the church to the superintendency of gan, where Elder Wolkwitz is now confer- the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to be the Leader ence secretary, 2,000 have volunteered to join and the Power of His church. the chain. In Indianapolis, Indiana, during We in the Atlantic Union Conference trea- the General Conference Session in 1990, sure the promise that "the message should 2,480 persons from 121 countries signed go again with power in the cities in the pledges to be links in the prayer chain. In Eastern States" (Testimonies, Vol. 9, p. 98). Arkansas-Louisiana Conference, where Dr. Should we not be foremost in prayer for the George Rice of the E. G. White Estate con- Holy Spirit? ducted a seminar on the Holy Spirit, more In the 1990's, the world is breaking chains than 700 committed themselves to join the of tyranny. In 1992, let's join in a chain of chain. In Washington Conference, President praying seekers, persons who are opening Lenard Jaecks led in the development of a ourselves to new power through the Person logo, to be shared on posters and bookmarks of the Holy Spirit. The chain is encircling the to encourage others to become part of the world! Don't be left out! January 2,1992, Vol. XCI, No. 1. The Atlantic Union GLEANER is published monthly by the Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 400 Main Street, South Lancaster, MA 01561. Printed by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Third-class postage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Annual subscription price, $7.00. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Review and Herald* Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. 2 THE ATLANTIC UNION GLEANER LIIERATURE CONTACT IN BOSTON'S CHINATOWN ith the goal of opening up a Wwork for the Chinese in Bos- ton, Elder Charles Williams, Southern New England Confer- ence Publishing Director, and Peter Ching, Publishing Director of the South China Island Union Mission, went into Boston's Chi- natown. Using Ching's skill to speak several Chinese dialects and at his suggestion, they contacted the Chamber of Commerce in Chi- natown. It was proposed there that they purchase a booth for the Ray Williams (center) Chinese Moon Cake Festival to be Southern New England Display of Chinese literature available. This was Conference Assistant held the next month on Beech Publishing Director, and Ruby Street in Boston. At the cost of brought from China by Peter Ching for Chinese peoples living in the United States. Jiao, an Atlantic Union $15.00 this was done. College student, give literature The Chamber of Commerce also to attendees at Chinatown's directed Elder Williams and Mr. Moon Cake Festival. Ching to visit a health-care facility for inner-city dwellers located in Chinatown. At the health-care fa- cility an interest was shown in our Chinese-language and English- language health literature that will generate future contact. Mr. Ching returned for the fes- tival with literature in the Chinese language. His assistance was in- dispensable in obtaining the liter- ature and in being able to speak the language of those that were contacted. This is the beginning of the work among the Chinese in Boston. Paul Jiao, Ruby's father-in-law, and a Lun Fung Liru, an Atlantic Union College visiting teacher for a printing school in student, communicates with Chinese Shanghai, assists in literature distribution language literature and the spoken Chinese at the festival. language. Each month the Atlantic Union Gleaner will feature the various activities and events the conferences, institutions, organizations, churches, and members 4 Elder Charles Williams, Southern New are participating in to reach "people England Conference Publishing Director, groups" who must hear the Gospel and and Peter Ching prepare to leave for the hope of Christ's soon return. So, let Chinatown in Boston. us pray, share, and give. lanuary 2. 1992. Vol. XCI. Na I 3 FREEDOM FOR ESTONIA By V. Eric Kotter As a native son of the Baltic Union, I always had a burden for seeing V. Eric Kotter (the "V" stands for Vello) our country evangelized. I had received a call last spring from the Baltic stands beside a dual publication of his evangelistic series. The poster is written in Union to conduct an evangelistic series, but they were unable to finance both Estonian and Russian. my trip. In one of the Atlantic Union Conference committee sessions, it ".! was decided to adopt the Baltic Union as a sister union. On June 2, Elder member committee which had Philip Follett asked me to make a short presentation to the Union Session taken control of the Soviet govern- about my proposed trip. At that meeting an offering was taken which ment had already prepared totalled $903. Additional appeals to my Brunswick, Maine, church 300,000 blank deportation forms members provided not only funds enough for the trip but also enough for and 250,000 handcuffs for people the 960 Estonian New Testaments as well! Now the trip was seriously on who were to be deported to Sibe- its way! ria. We heard rumors that 40 rail- road cars were organized outside the capital to take people away. t was 10:30 on August 19. My was under house arrest. Immedi- During this time we followed the wife, Bonnie, and I, along ately I was concerned about our news through the British Broad- with my mother, were on the evangelistic series which was to casting Network. 1border of Estonia and Latvia. start 11 days later in Tallinn, the At this very time large posters in Our intention was to visit some of capital of Estonia. During the day two languages, Estonian and Rus- my relatives in Latvia. (Estonia is we heard reports of tanks rolling sian (40 percent of the people liv- the northernmost country of the into Tallinn. That evening as we ing in Estonia are now Russian), three Baltic states located south of returned from Latvia to Parnu, Es- were advertising the upcoming Finland.) I stood at the border tonia, my hometown, we noticed evangelistic campaign throughout crossing taking video pictures of several Soviet military vehicles the city of Tallinn. I was fearful the Estonian border guards. I men- preceding us into the city. We took that not only would the evangelis- tioned I was proud of them as they some side streets and skirted this tic campaign be shut down, but stood by the border gate in their military convoy. Later we discov- also our departure back home to 4 blue uniforms. They said: "We ered that the hard-line eight- America might be obstructed. may not be here tomorrow." Fifty years ago my parents had "Why not?" I asked. been deported to Siberia, and sub- "Because Gorbachev is sick sequently I fled Estonia with my and his vice president has grandparents and aunt to Amer- taken over power." ica. My parents were deported on When we arrived in Latvia June 14, 1941, with 100,000 other we learned that Gorbachev Estonians.

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