Read Those Words, a Car Key Dropped from the Back of the Bible
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JULY 2018 My Favorite Teacher THE MENTORING WHAT PARENTS ARE EXCEPTIONAL Don’t WAIT: GAP: INVESTING IN LOOKING FOR IN A CHILDREN WITH START PREPARING TODAy’S YOUTH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL SPECIAL NEEds: FOR COLLEGE NOW KNOWING THE WARNING SIGNS vantagepoint Education and Evangelism — Blessings in Disguise The story is told of a young man about to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his wealthy father could well afford it, he told him that the sports car was ALL he wanted. As graduation day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disap- pointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money, you give me a Bible?" He stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and very ill. The son thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed Leslie N. Pollard, all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of estate Ph.D., D.Min., M.B.A. matters. President of When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. All the years Oakwood University of relationship lost, all the missed birthdays, and all the unresolved pain swirled within his heart. Guest Editorial He began the slow search through his father's important papers and saw the still-new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation and the words, “PAID IN FULL.” Similar to the correct priorities modeled by the wise father in the story I just shared, one of the greatest blessings of our educational ministry is that when we believe that we are giving students the keys to a life of service, we also are giving students the Bible and its teachings, because education and evangelism are two sides of the same coin. In fact, I would offer that Christian education is the greatest form of evangelism of our youth. In training students for ser- vice in this life, we also are preparing them for service in the life to come. We are giving them all that they need to make a success of life. Yes, Christian education is the amazing sibling of evangelism — and both are essential! Christian writer Diane Hymans, in reflecting on education and evangelism, wrote, “So what is the relationship between education and evangelizing? They are not identical. Evangelizing is making the gospel known in church and world. It is similar to proclamation understood in the broadest sense — proclamation in the form of both spoken word and lived experience. Educa- tion focuses on understanding the gospel and how it shapes who we are and the way we live our lives. Clearly, we cannot draw too fine a distinction between these two essential ministries of the church. As people hear the gospel proclaimed, they often come to understand, in pro- found ways, who God is and who they are. And, the gospel is made known in countless ways, both intentionally and unintentionally, in educational settings in the faith community. Clearly both are needed in the church and the world. The difference is one of focus and purpose, not importance.” (See Diane J. Hymans’ “Education and Evangelism: Is the connection essential?” at https://bit.ly/2JTQRZM) The ministry of saving youth is essential to the work of educational evangelists and evange- listic educators. May the two always work for the ministry of God’s Church! 2 SOUTHERN TIDINGS | JULY 2018 contents Volume 112, No. 7, July 2018 The Southern Tidings is the official publication of july 2018 the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. features SOUTHERN UNION CONFERENCE 302 Research Drive Norcross, Georgia 30092 Mail Address P.O. Box 923868 Norcross, Georgia 30010-3868 Telephone (770) 408-1800 www.southernunion.com 4 MY FAVORITE teacher Editor R. Steven Norman III Managing Editor Irisene Douce CIRCULation Yaime Cordova ADVertising Nathan Zinner 9 LAYOUT Julie Burks PRODUCTION College Press THE mentoring GAP: INVesting IN todaY'S CONTRIBUTING Editors YOUTH ADVentist HEALTH SYstem Meghan Brescher Halley ADVentist UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES 10 Lisa Marie Esser what parents ARE CAROLINA Rebecca Carpenter FLorida Gladys Neigel LOOKING for IN GEORGIA-CUMBERLAND A christian SCHOOL Tamara Wolcott Fisher GULF States Shane Hochstetler Hispanic Mariel Lombardi KENTUCKY-Tennessee Denise Pope Oakwood UNIVERSITY 12 Kenn Dixon SOUTH ATLANTIC EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Carl McRoy WITH SPECIAL Needs: 4 SOUTH CENTRAL Roger R. Wade knowing THE warning SOUtheastern SIGNS Christopher Thompson, D.Min. SOUTHERN ADVentist UNIVERSITY Janell Hullquist 14 CONFERENCE/ InstitUTION DirectorY DON'T wait: start CAROLINA (704) 596-3200 preparing for coLLEGE P.O. Box 44270, Charlotte, NC 28215 FLORIDA (407) 644-5000 now 351 S. State Road 434, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714-3824 9 10 GEORGIA-CUMBERLAND (706) 629-7951 P.O. Box 12000, Calhoun, GA 30703-7001 GULF STATES (334) 272-7493 P.O. Box 240249, Montgomery, AL 36117 KENTUCKY-TENNESSEE (615) 859-1391 P.O. Box 1088, Goodlettsville, TN 37070-1088 SOUTH ATLANTIC (404) 792-0535 news P.O. Box 1688, Decatur, GA 30031-1688 SOUTH CENTRAL (615) 226-6500 ADVentist HEALTH SYstem P.O. Box 24936, Nashville, TN 37202 16 SOUTHEASTERN (352) 735-3142 18 CAROLINA P.O. Box 1016, Mt. Dora, FL 32756-0056 20 FLorida ADVENTIST HEALTH SYSTEM (407) 357-2083 22 GEORGIA-CUMBERLAND 900 Hope Way, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 24 GULF States ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH KENTUCKY-Tennessee SCIENCES (800) 500-7747 24 671 Winyah Drive, Orlando, FL 32803 28 SOUTH ATLANTIC OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY (256) 726-7000 30 SOUtheastern 12 14 7000 Adventist Blvd., Huntsville, AL 35896 SOUTHERN ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY 32 ADVentist UNIVERSITY (800) SOUTHERN of HEALTH SCIENCES P.O. Box 370, Collegedale, TN 37315-0370 33 SOUTHERN ADVentist UNIVERSITY SOUTHERN TIDINGS | Volume 112 34 hispanic Number 7 | July 2018 Published monthly by the Southern Union. Free to all members. 42 NON-discrimination POLICY POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to 44 CLassified ADVertising Southern Tidings 46 EVents CALendar P.O. Box 923868 Norcross, GA 30010-3868 47 ANNOUncements EMAIL: [email protected] JULY 2018 | SOUTHERN TIDINGS 3 coverfeature William Seth noMinated BY LesLie Louis eslie Louis arrived in the United States in 1964 as an 11-year-old Limmigrant from Ceylon, India (now Sri Lanka). “It was a year filled with major transi- tions in my life,” Louis wrote in his nom- ination for favorite teacher. “Although I seemed to adapt readily to the academic change from Asia to America, I was truly a social misfit in a class of over 25 stu- dents in their early teens. I had left all my friends behind, and felt so alone in a place that I had once imagined as the next best place to Heaven.” As a newly enrolled student at Sligo Church School in Takoma Park Mary- land, Louis found solace in the heartfelt gestures of his eighth-grade teacher, Wil- liam Seth. “His words of encouragement and kindness sustained me through that diffi- cult year,” Louis continued. “He affirmed my efforts publicly for raising all the money that I needed to go on our eighth- grade class trip in New York City and the World’s Fair. He forgave me with gentle- ness when I broke down in tears and con- My fessed to him that I had not been honest with him about a matter. The memory that stands out most in my mind is when he visited our little apartment to pray spe- cifically for me and my family.” As a result of Seth’s Christian witness, Favorite Louis gave his life to Christ that year, making a public declaration through bap- Teacher tism at Sligo Church. BY ALVA JAMES-JOHNSON The mediocre teacher tells. The good ring true today as a potent reminder of benefited from an Adventist education. teacher explains. The superior teacher what remains a noble profession. Some of the teachers they nominated con- demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. Nowhere is the pedagogical impact tinue to work in the field. Others are re- more pronounced than on the hearts and tired; some, sadly, are now deceased. But Such was the wisdom imparted by minds of students taught by Adventist ed- they’ve all left an indelible mark on the William Arthur Ward, one of the most ucators over the decades. So, in preparing lives of students inspired by their Chris- quoted 20th century American writers of this year’s special Education issue of the tian influence.