Family Life the Seventh•Day Adventist Church Rightly Colored Lights Flash in Irregular Sequence at There Should Be Present Men Whom God Can Use
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Baffled by Your Teenager? Misunderstood by Your Parents? Try Our Classes on Family Life the Seventh•day Adventist Church rightly colored lights flash in irregular sequence at there should be present men whom God can use. Leaf- the command of a computer! Psychedelic art and rock lets containing the light of present truth should be scat- music set the mood! Hucksters stand ready to read tered among the people like the leaves of autumn. horoscopes for 75 cents! When Christ was upon this earth, He took advantage of Down the fairway, screams come from the roller coast- such opportunities. Wherever a large number of people er, mingled with the call of vendors with apples and was gathered for any purpose, His voice was heard, clear cotton candy or game operators with stuffed animals to and distinct, giving His message. And as a result, after bestow on anyone who can master the simple task of His crucifixion and ascension, thousands were con- tossing three balls through a hoop! verted in a day. The seed sown by Christ sank deep into Repeat these scenes hundreds of times, and you have hearts, and germinated, and when the disciples received Fair Season, USA. County fairs. State fairs. Agriculture the gift of the Holy Spirit, the harvest was gathered in." fairs. Science fairs. There seems no limit. Evangelism, 35, 36. The scene changes! Churches and institutions in the Southern Union Con- Crowds stream past the imposing entrance o' the con- ference sponsor scores of exhibits at fairs and conven- vention center. Inside the exhibit hall, expensive, im- tions each year. Since 1978 they have displayed to the maculate displays line the aisles. Slick, professionally public the most complete and attractive Adventist unit prepared literature rests neatly in its rack. Attractive ever available for general use. Designed to fit into a regu- hostesses charm passersby and extol the virtue of Plan lar 10-foot fair booth, the unit projects a warm, person- X, Project Y, or Product Z. The latest in 1-)i,,,ne,,s al atmosphere. Framed by the faces of friendly people technology, scientific wizardry, and electronic genius from all walks of life, four lighted panels summarize the provides a preview of tomorrow. involvement of the church with people through its heal- Fairs, conventions, and expositions. Unlike!' piace,, ing, teaching, and good-neighbor programs. for Seventh-day Adventists to witness? Not ,* ' Spurred by need for new themes and to be more scores of churches that have successfully don, !,!, transportable, three new displays are being introduced. Not at all, concurs Ellen White. "At all such gotherIngs Produced by the Communication Department, in TWO Gary L Ivey, artist New Focus on Human Concerns cooperation with the Health and Temperance Depart- ing. They present the Adventist church as being in- ments, these focus on three key areas of life style terested in people's needs, able and eager to help. enrichment—family life, health, and overcoming smok- The new design uses the same basic equipment as the original unit, resulting in considerable savings. A major benefit of the new style is that it consists of only half the vol- ume of components required for the earlier design, making trans- portation simpler and allowing two of the new units to be in service simultaneously. These displays make it possible for even the smallest church to be effectively represented at fairs, conventions, shopping malls, and other public places. Completion of the new themes is expected in October. Churches should address their requests to the communication director of their local conference, who can provide information regarding the What does your community know about Seventh-day Adventists? This exhibit can make a good image better. Introduced in 1978, this design, and subsequent themes on "Living" and religious rental fee and availability of the dis- liberty, is still available in most conferences. play. Volume 75 SOUTHERN TIDINGS (USPS 507-000) Number 9 THREE Published monthly. Second-class postage paid at Collegedale, Tennessee 37315. Subscription rate—three dollars per year. POSTMASTER, send form 3579 to SOUTHERN TIDINGS. Box 849, Decatur, GA 30031. The Rotary Club Clinic on La Gonave now operated by tt ,nth- ',I Adventist Church. by Pat M. Batto Photography by Bill lies ost academy and college stu- other conveniences we might con- 1977. At that time the Adventist dents would like to forget school sider as necessities, the group re- church was not prepared to operate during Christmas vacation. That, turned to school in the states while the facility, so it was leased to the however, was not true of 24 stu- more than 50 Haitian children were Church of the Nazarene for $1 a dents from Forest Lake Academy enrolling in the newly built school, year. However, on July 1 of this and Southern Missionary College in the town of Anse-a Galets on the year, the clinic was turned over to during their Christmas vacation in island of La Gonave. The story does the Franco-Haitian Union of 1971. In fact, those students were not end there. Seventh-day Adventists. Two most anxious to become involved Iles, who is also a member of the nurses, as well as a medical doctor, with school. Their involvement was South Seminole Rotary Club, gave a will be on duty at regular intervals. not with textbooks, slide rules, or presentation to his club on the stu- A health educator, also part of the the catalogue index at the library; dent's Christmas venture, which, in team, will work among villagers in rather, it was with shovel, mortar turn, sparked not only an interest an area with a population of some mix, concrete block, and other by club members but substantial 25,000 people. Additional assis- tools and building materials. Under help for the Haitian school. For six tance will come from the Hospital the supervision of Bill Iles, who is or seven years Rotarians have un- Adventista near Port-au-Prince, assistant to the president of Florida derwritten the cost of all equip- which opened its doors on June 29 Hospital, and a member of the ment, furnishings, and about one- of this year. Several Florida Hospital Forest Lake church, and Leland third of the school's operating employees have volunteered their Straw, who was then principal of budget. A number of club members time and service to establish that Little Creek Academy, a group of 27 have visited the school at their own facility. students, calling themselves Task expense. Since Seventh-day Adventist Force II, spent 17 days of their After visiting the island and see- World Service (SAWS) contributed Christmas vacation on the Haitian ing, firsthand, the abject poverty thousands of dollars to the reestab- island of La Gonave, where, in 11 and the enormous need for medical lishment of Haitians following Hur- days, they built a 4,000-square-foot care, Rotary members from 55 clubs ricane David in 1979, 29 Baptist elementary school. Following the raised money to build a medical congregations have asked to join completion of the school on this clinic 42 miles from Anse-a Galets in the Adventist church. This repre- island, where 65,000 people live the village of Gros Mangles. The sents about 3,000 adults and 1,000 with no electricity, no indoor clinic, which is one of only two on children. At this time the Franco- plumbing, no secondary school or the entire island, began service in Haitian Union is preparing these FOUR individuals for church member- ship. There are 100,000 Adventists in Haiti, which makes it the largest Protestant denomination in the country. The impact of that one trip by 24 students in 1971, is still being felt as another facility is about to open. On July 2, 1981, while visiting the town of Anse-a Galets where the elementary school is located, Bill Iles was told by the school principal that a survey had been conducted by the elementary school teachers to determine if there was an in- terest by the surrounding villages to establish a secondary school. The response was a resounding, "Yes!" In fact, before the school has been constructed there are al- ready enough students registered Loading up for the 20-mile trip to the off-shore island of La Gonave seen in the background. to pay the salaries of four teachers. housing components at his cost, only will the service provide All four of those teachers are which would mean a savings of ap- much-needed housing, it will also graduates of the elementary school proximately $40,000. provide employment. Though which was started 10 years ago. The Iles said, "In October we plan to these buildings are inexpensive, cost of constructing the new school construct two pre-fab model they are as stylish and as sturdy, or which will adjoin the elementary houses on the campus in three days more so, than homes where some school will be about $3,400. to demonstrate the speed and of the more affluent islanders live." Another aspect of the involve- durability with which these low cost It has been almost 10 years ago ment of Iles and other volunteers in homes can be built—homes which since Task Force II gave 17 days of helping to organize a stronger edu- are resistant to weather, rust, fire, their Christmas vacation to build a cational and medical program in or vermin. We are confident that a school. Today as a result of their Haiti is the possibility of starting an number of welfare organizations work, there is an elementary school industry at the secondary school which are assisting the Haitian re- with 175 students enrolled, a medi- and college at Port-au-Prince.