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SEPTEMBER To faithfully chronicle the work and progress of the church in the Atlantic Union territory and inform, 2005 instruct, and inspire our church members. ISSION TATEMENT M S Beyond the Dome 4 Editorial 3 Adventist Youth Impact St. Louis ¿Qué Está Pasando? 11 insideEATURES QuoiEPARTMENTS de Neuf? 14 F DYouth & Relationships 23 This & That 31 8 The 58th General Atlantic Union College 6 Conference Session New York 12 – A Family Affair OVER TORY NorthernEWS New England 18 C S : NSouthern New England 20 Northeastern 22 15 Sarah’s Wish Comes True Bulletin Board 27 Obituaries 27 ClassifiedsNFORMATION 29 I 16 Beyond the Dome Up close and…. November Issue September 9 December Issue October 14 JanuaryEADLINES Issue November 11 D 31 Treasurers Coordinate The GLEANER deadline schedule is available online at www.atlantic-union.org/gleaner4.htm. Offering at Session September 2005 Vol. 104, No. 9 The Atlantic Union GLEANER is published monthly by the Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day This issue of the GLEANER includes Adventists, 400 Main Street, South Lancaster, MA 01561. Printed by highlights of the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Review and Herald® Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Church held in St. Louis, Missouri. On the cover is Kiener Plaza where many Hagerstown, MD 21740. Standard postage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Annual subscription price, $8.50. POSTMASTER: Send address Adventists were featured in free musical concerts during the lunch hour in conjunc- changes to Review and Herald® Publishing Association, 55 West Oak tion with the Adventist world session. The photo was taken by Kelly Butler Coe. Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. BOUT THE OVER A2 Atlantic Union C GLEANER, September: 2005 Visit the Atlantic Union Web site EDITORIAL God Is No Respecter of Persons s I sat in meetings at the 58th General One of the challenges Women’s Ministries Conference Session in St. Louis, directors face is receiving reports from local AMissouri, watching myriads of faces churches. During the Women’s Ministries from around the world, an excitement grew meetings I thought, Suppose these women inside me simply because God allowed me had not shared the blessings with us? We to be part of such a delegation. The women must report the blessings: monthly, from were professional, intelligent, and exquisite. the churches to the conference director; Their Christian bearing was like a delicate quarterly, from the conference director to bouquet of flowers with unique varieties of the union director; and then to the North blossoms, exotic fragrances, and rich hues American Division and General Conference. beyond description. Without the reports from the local church- The appointment of Ella Simmons and es, the blessings of God cannot be shared Rosa Banks to church leadership positions with the world church. inspired me to strive for a closer relation- How will the appointments of Simmons ship with God, energized me to set higher and Banks to the General Conference “Higher than spiritual and personal goals, and challenged affect Women’s Ministries? Their appoint- me to view past blessings as a motivation ments made me feel relaxed, encouraged, the highest and assurance of future blessings. “Higher and hopeful that another perspective will than the highest human thought is God’s be brought to the decision-making table. human thought But here’s another question to consider: ideal for His children”—EDUCATION, p. 18. Further, their appointments substantiate How will Women’s Ministries impact is God’s ideal for what is found in the following references: their appointments? We can honor our 1) Colossians, Ephesians, James, Romans, Christian sisters by praying for them, and His children”— and Galatians which tell us that, God is no by sharing God’s blessings with conference directors via e-mail as events take place: respecter of persons; 2) TESTIMONIES, vol. 3, p. EDUCATION, p. 18. Charlotte L. V. Thoms, Atlantic Union, 492, which states “The General Conference in [email protected]; Loretta Gibbons, session is the highest authority that God has on Bermuda, [email protected]; Lynee earth;” and 3) THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST Hamm, New York, abcshopgirl@yahoo. BIBLE COMMENTARY, vol. 6, pp. 254, 962, com; Diana Jaworski, New York, “neither race, nor sex, nor social status have [email protected]; Yvonne any bearing in God’s sight;” and “the elevation Knight, Greater New York, vonnieek@aol. of woman to equality with man is the direct com; Lynn Ortel, Northern New England, result of Christian teaching and practice.” [email protected]; Mireille St. Pierre, As women stood before that awesome Northeastern, mstpierre@northeastern. delegation to give reports, I smiled because org; Suesiana Bennett, Northeastern, I felt a though I were watching a biblical [email protected]; and Lisa Paden, heroine such as Esther, Deborah, Hamutal, Southern New England, [email protected]. Rahab, Hannah, Huldah, Ruth, Tamar, A report form is available on the Atlantic Damaris, Dorcas, Lydia, Chloe, Zeruiah, Union Web site at www.atlantic-union.org/ Claudia, Mary, Joanna, Martha, Sarah, women.htm. Miriam, Basemath, Rebecca, or Bathshua. Women were reporting the blessings of God Charlotte Thoms is disabilities and women’s in the power of God. ministries director for the Atlantic Union. at www.atlantic-union.org Atlantic Union GLEANER, September 2005 3 Beyond the Adventist Youth Impact St. Louis Under the direction of Ceaser Gonzalez, 150 youth, ages From puppets to drama, food 15-33, met at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, campus and underwent two hours of daily training each morning. banks to nursing homes, clowns In the afternoon, they went out into various parts of the city to put their training to use. Covering twenty-three different areas of ministry, the concept is to enable the youth to be in to deaf ministries, Adventist a position to return to their local churches and train other youth so that the reach of Impact St.Louis 2005 will be felt youth made a positive impact in all across the globe. Rosalie van Putten is a freelance writer living in New York, New York. St. Louis! In what is fast becom- Photos this spread by Richard Herard. ing a General Conference Session tradition, Seventh-day Adventist youth from all over the world came together in St. Louis, as they have during the last two General Conference sessions, to be trained in various areas of ministry and then to go out and impact not Despite the 100 degree temperature, participants of the race sprinted down the streets of down- only the host city, in this case St. town St. Louis to gather clues to complete a puzzle. The purpose of the St. Louis Amazing Race was to acclimate Impact St. Louis delegates to the city of St. Louis. Louis, but also the world. By Rosalie van Putten 4 Atlantic Union GLEANER, September 2005 Visit the Atlantic Union Web site International delegates scoured the city of Berkeley, Missouri, working their way to City Hall. “Clean Sweep,” a part of Impact St. Louis youth evangelism training, helped delegates give some- thing to the city, and also helped them familiarize themselves with the area. Denise Houston, left, from New York, and Alice Mitchell, right, from St. Louis, served spaghetti to the residents of the Salvation Army—Harbor Light Homeless Services Shelter. Karen Weeks from England, left front; Jennie Bunton from Alabama, center front; and Macdonald Desilva from Bermuda, right front, sang “Jesus Love Me” to a national park ranger as their final challenge in the St. Louis Amazing Race. The street art ministry team participated in the Agape Church’s F.L.A.G. (Fun Learning About God) Camp. The youth painted a mural which was placed in a designated area in the community. It was one of many ministries generated by Impact St. Louis 2005 during the 58th Adventist church world session. at www.atlantic-union.org Atlantic Union GLEANER , September 2005 5 Dedicated Lives to Atlantic Union’s Collegiates Peggy Rittenhouse Henry Livergood hen Peggy Rittenhouse started nursing, there was no etiring Executive Chef Henry Livergood is full of sto- WHIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C and when you gave an injec- R ries. His life message is the latest tion, you had to go to the back room and miracle or answered prayer of grind down the steel needle what God is doing in the lives of for the next use. “There were Atlantic Union College students, no CAT scans or MRIs or missions, or his own life. He and disposable gloves,” explains Rittenhouse are retiring after Rittenhouse. “The only time decades of service to college stu- we wore gloves was for sterile dents who come here from across procedures such as scrubbing this union and around the world. in surgery or catheterizations With a name like Livergood, he and even then, the gloves were and Dorothea, his wife, have washed, dried, powdered, and oddly both been plagued with re-sterilized.” That caught the liver challenges, yet they move attention of local media and, as a forward like Energizer® Bunnies result, Rittenhouse, her retirement, for the Lord. and Atlantic Union College were Dressed in his chef garb at featured in THE CLINTON ITEM. the General Conference Session, Rittenhouse served students he dispensed fruit, and talked most recently as the Baccalaureate up the new 2-year associate Nursing Program coordinator at degree in Vegan/Vegetarian Atlantic Union College. “Keep Culinary Arts at Atlantic your options open—you never Union College. He garnered know what field of nursing 20 interested candidates. He you will be in or what poten- also invited people to par- tial you have inside you,” she ticipate in his Mission 2000 told graduates at the nurses’ trip to Venezuela—a 15-year pinning during graduation tradition of mission service OLLEGE weekend, May 14.