Separated Unto the Gospel
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UNION CONFERENCE BULLETIN.-6 ADVENT ItG N tlF THE Pik I T I UN ERENCE OE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENT Separated Unto The Gospel By S. G. HYDE THE growth of the church can be gauged, in Anglia; from Central, Southern, and Southwestern part, by the steady stream of candidates for the England; from the great London itself, these 1,500 Gospel ministry. Conference time, whether local or members of the church were gathered together Union, invariably is ordination time. And always and were waiting in solemn and prayerful expectancy there are men waiting to be admitted to the ranks not only to observe but also to share in the ad- of God's ministers. ministration of ministerial ordination. One was (as The Sabbath day of the Conference is always a always on such occasions) conscious of being in an great day; and the highlight of the day is the atmosphere charged with emotion and the very pres- ordination service which, by tradition occupies the ence of God was felt strangely by all who were first part of the afternoon programme. privileged to be present. 'Twas thus on this the occasion of the 1958 Quad- On this particular Sabbath, there were six ordin- rennial Session. The great hall of Watford's Town ands, each one carefully selected and recommended Hall (proving altogether inadequate for all who by the executive committees of the church and wished to share the day's programme) was packed approved by the whole delegation. They were: with some 1,500 people, representatives of the D. Logan from the South England Conference, E. church in Britain, which was this day calling some Bell, R. W. Brett, D. Lowe from the North England of her sons to become members of her growing Conference, G. Crutchfield from the Scottish Mission, army of accredited ministers. From Wales, Scotland and R. Syme from the Union Conference. and Ireland; from the North, the Midlands, East These were duly "examined" by a group of Photo by J. West Pastor M. V. Campbell gives the "Charge" to six young men ordained to the ministry at the Conference session. ministerial leaders, the final step in the procesS of Master Himself, not the man, to be "honoured, very careful selection, and recognition of Divine loved, and exalted." approval. The sermon over, the six candidates were invited And now the six ordinands sit, each with his to come to the rostrum, and in a kneeling posture wife, beneath the rostrum, facing the entire ministry. await the prayer of ordination and the laying-on On the rostrum itself were two representatives of of hands. All the senior ministers, also kneeling, the General Conference, Pastors M. V. Campbell and were grouped around the ordinands. The prayer F. G. Clifford, together with Pastor H. M. Blunden, was offered by Pastor Clifford, president of the a retired Publishing Secretary of the General Con- Australasian Division, a prayer of dedication that ference; Pastors A. F. Tarr and G. D. King of these younger men might be dedicated men, filled the Northern European Division; the newly-elected with wisdom and sanctified by the Spirit of God. Union president, Pastor J. A. McMillan; the newly- As the hands of the elder brethren were laid upon elected conference presidents, Pastors J. H. Bayliss the heads of the younger men—a symbol of their and E. H. Foster; the three Mission presidents, being separated by God for the work of the ministry Pastors M. C. Murdoch, B. F. Kinman, and K. —the great congregation were conscious of the A. Elias; together with a number of senior ministers, anointing presence of the Lord. G. D. Keough, W. McClements, 0. M. Dorland, And "so six new ministers were set apart for S. G. Hyde, L. Murdoch, and J. M. Howard. that sacred calling. Now the "charge" must be made Behind these, rising tier by tier, and making an to them. They were charged to preach the Word, impressive background, were the rest of the ministers to comfort, to warn, to lift up God's standard, and their wives waiting to receive the new recruits to prepare men and women for the Lord's coming. to the Gospel ministry. Using the words found within the pages of God's So the service began. A song of praise; a prayer Word, the Vice-President of the General Conference, by Pastor Dorland (whom all were glad to see Pastor Campbell, made the "charge," laying squarely after his recent severe illness); an appropriate song upon the shoulders of these young ministers their by Pastor R. Kranz, of the New Gallery Centre burden and responsibility. and then the ordination sermon by the president of the Northern European Division. A strange quiet Finally, the ceremony of welcome, the president came over the great assembly and an atmosphere in whose diocese each ordinand laboured extending of understandable stillness was experienced as Pastor the hand of welcome and offering heart-warming Tarr undertook the responsibility of re-telling the felicitations. Thereafter all the elder brethren joined character, the standards, the expectations, and the in this very warm ceremony of welcome. many activities of God's ministers. Quoting many Then came the turn of the newly ordained men. of the counsels furnished by the ministers of the They were invited to tell the congregation some- Lord in the Bible story, Pastor Tarr stressed the thing of their life's experience, the events that had greatness of the minister's calling, the greatness led them to this great experience. Each man told, of which must never divorce the minister from the with feeling and emotion, his story. And while Spirit of meekness. There were pit-falls to be each story was different, each included an expression alive to and avoid; prayer to resort to; souls to 9f gratitude first to the Lord Himself and after- nurture, churches to feed. The ministry of the ward to parents, to wife, to a ministerial friend, minister was ever to be Christ-centred and the or some church congregation. A moving experience CONFERENCE EXHIBITS Photos by J. West The Literature Exhibit. At the Granose Stall. 2 BRITISH ADVENT MESSENGER Photos by J. West Temperance. Public Relations. Youth Activities. CONFERENCE EXHIBITS indeed for men on the threshold of what all fer- of each of the newly ordained men in sentiments vently hope will be a spirit-filled and fruitful such as this: ministry. Give him his armour; all of light, And so the most moving of all the services of And with unfaltering breath, • the Conference came to an end. Every soul in Lord, make him Thy great battle fight, that large audience breathed a prayer on behalf And faithful be, to death. Our Deliverer Is Coming An Evening Sermon by A. F. TARR Two thousand seven hundred years ago God gave There is a growing tendency among our believers to His people a wonderful message through the to accept the world's standards of prosperity. Not prophet Isaiah. In these days He has given a similar so noticeable is the spirit of sacrifice which charac- message to be "proclaimed unto the end of the terized the early believers. They must have the world." Turn with me to Isaiah 62:11. I like Moffatt's luxuries as well as the necessities of life. So much reading, "Tell the citizens of Zion their Deliverer has this dependence on material things become a is coming." The Lord's messenger expresses it this part of them that they worry about financial matters way in Testimonies, Vol. 6, page 22: "Tell the and even become envious of the prosperity of others people the day of the Lord is coming and hasteth in the way David was tempted to be until the Lord greatly." give him the right perspective. What a wonderfully timely message this is, not Still others find they do not enjoy Christian fellow- only for our world but for God's church at this ship. Spiritual conversation is tedious to them and time. "The Deliverer is coming!" It is the positive even the study of God's Word has lost its charm. cure for soul-sickness. I do not say that the Seventh- Again I say there is only one answer to these Day Adventist church is stricken with a deadly distressing conditions—the Deliverer is coming! malady, but I see them being robbed of their joy Some of our number are increasingly conscious of in the Lord by three conditions. First of all the the coming of. age. Sight and hearing fail and we message of the coming Deliverer is the remedy for must have recourse to glasses and hearing aids. There a failing faith. I meet many Adventists who have is a loss of energy; the housewife finds she can no not the same enjoyment of spiritual things which longer get through the same amount of cleaning once they had. For them the novelty and freshness in a day which once she did. The same message of their first introduction to the message has been which reminds her that the eyes of the blind and lost. If only the significance of this joyful message ears of the deaf shall be opened is that which speaks could break through to them their faith would be of the coming Deliverer. revitalized and joy restored. It is disturbing to open a newspaper and see re- SEPTEMBER 19, 1958 3 hall seated about 900 and it was crowded for sermon after sermon through many hours. Around the walls were the ancient charts of the great lines of prophecy, the seven trumpets, 2,300 days, and so on.