OCTOBER 11, 2003 RECORD In this issue
Lighting up Victoria, together
Injecting room increases drug sales
KidSpeak about their world
Dick Smith flew in by helicopter to present $A200,000 to the Sydney Adventist Hospital. Sick kids win with Dick Smith
Wahroonga, NSW
ick children were the winners when well-known businessman and aviator Dick Smith Stouched down at the Sydney Adventist Hospital on September 24 to hand over a $A200,000 donation from Dick Smith Foods. The donation, received by the hospital’s CEO, Dr Leon Clark, will help fund a new Paediatrics Ward, including increasing the size of the Children’s Sleep Disorders Unit—the only private paediatric unit of its kind in Australia. According to Mr Smith, founder of Dick Smith Foods, the donation is indicative of the philosophy behind the company, which has now donated more than $A2.5 million to Australian charities and worthy causes. “Our support for Sydney Adventist Hospital is a great example of how an Australian company can give something back to the community, while providing ongoing support for Australian farmers and manufacturers by keeping the profits in Australia to create jobs and safeguard the First female future for our children,” says Mr Smith. “I believe that this attitude is shared by the majority of Australians who have purchased well over $200 million worth of our products since we started in February 2000, allowing us to give donations such as this one.” treasurer “We’re ecstatic with this very generous donation from Dick Smith Foods,” says Dr Clark. “The San is a not-for-profit hospital and there are a growing number of families with children coming into the area. This donation will enable us to accommodate more children, in a more comfortable for Fiji environment to help speed their recovery.”—Kristen Mackie
ISSN 0819-5633 FLASHPOINT
New president for WA Conference Bravery award for former Longburn College student Asian Aid makes a statement 1200 youth gather in North NZ and more
Pastor Glenn Townend Lilydale Adventist Acad- (pictured) is the new emy, Vic, is a pilot school in president of Fulton teachers score high marks trialling processes based in the Western eacher trainees at Fulton College have the new-generation mobile Australian Tjust completed a five-week practicum phone service. Hutchison Conference teaching session in 127 schools in the Telecom is working with the (WA). His islands of Fiji. It took almost four weeks school to improve commun- election came for the five lecturers to visit the schools ications between staff with during the to examine the trainees in action. the new technology. church’s 73rd “One highlight was visiting a BEd business session, held at student, Ryan (BEd students do their Advent Park in Maida Vale, practicum at a ‘special school’), teaching Almost 1200 youth September 12-14. Pastor blind children to cook,” reports June gathered in Palmerston Townend is currently the Hamilton. “The children just loved it. North, NNZ, recently. Ministerial Association “Another highlight was visiting the Preaching by Pastor Anton secretary for the Victorian outer islands of Gau (pronounced now) and Namamanuca, an island Van Wyck, Scott Wareham Conference. He replaces out from Nadi, and watching our teacher trai nees lead out in these and the STORM Co team Pastor Murray House. Fijian schools and showing other teachers how creative they are.” challenged youth to reach Delegates returned Stephen Because of the influence of the trainees, Fulton has been asked to out to lost people. Music, Whitson as secretary- run a reading seminar for the teachers at a village school out of Nadi. drama and video gave the treasurer. Kingsley Wood, “Our teacher trainees have a big impact on the schools of this same message. the Australian Union Con- country. While out on practicum the trainees really miss Fulton and ference secretary-treasurer, it’s a thrill to visit them, and especially hear the Hindi trainees say, ‘We reported that WA is the only miss your Sabbath.’ When Turkan Akvoy conference in Australia that “I’ve even heard them say to the regular teachers in the many (pictured) was one of the has in excess of working schools that they are ‘Seventh-day Adventist Hindus.’” house-mates from the 2002 capital in all of its entities. Big Brother TV series, she “This means the conference is in a sound attempt. The mother of the young man chose to take a Bible into “the house” as financial position,” he says. “Substantial wrote to the college with newspaper the book she wished to read. She recently legacies and bequests have helped it clippings, saying, “I’m sure you will be visited a Kellyville church, rebuild over the past six years.” delighted to read the enclosed items about NSW, youth social event and one of your school’s former pupils. You will gave a talk to the youth about be very proud of Joshua.” how important God has been A former Longburn Adventist College in her life and encouraged student, Joshua Reynolds, received a them to make God an bronze bravery medal from the Royal Asian Aid, the supportive Adventist important part in their lives Humane Society on September 4. Now an ministry, has developed a new mission too.—Robyn Crabtree adventure tourism operator, the award was statement that “reflects our commitment presented to him in Palmerston North, to working through the Adventist Church NNZ, in recognition of his efforts in trying to reduce poverty.” It reads, “Asian Aid is A security guard for the Adventist to save the life of a young man who was the called to empower believers in Jesus to Development and Relief Agency, Oyaw victim of a kayaking accident. His efforts address the causes of physical and spiritual Abdwahd Ukash, was shot and killed on were unsuccessful and the man died, but poverty amongst disadvantaged commun- September 14 while travelling with Mr Reynolds had risked his own life in the ities.” coworkers from Kenya to Somalia.
OFFICIAL PAPER Editor Bruce Manners Mail: Signs Publishing Company South Pacific Division Senior assistant editor Lee Dunstan 3485 Warburton Highway Seventh-day Adventist Assistant editor Kellie Hancock Warburton, Vic 3799, Australia Church Copy editor Graeme Brown Phone: (03) 5966 9111 Fax: (03) 5966 9019 ACN 000 003 930 Editorial secretary Meryl McDonald-Gough Email Letters: [email protected] SPD news correspondent Brenton Stacey Email Newsfront: [email protected] Vol 108 No 40 Senior consulting editor Barry Oliver Email Noticeboard: [email protected] Cover: Graham Evans Subscriptions: South Pacific Division mailed within Web site: www.record.net.au Australia and to New Zealand, $A43.80 $NZ73.00. Other prices on application. Printed weekly.
2 October 11, 2003 NEWSFRONT Injecting room increases drug sales Sydney, NSW countering the claims of injecting-room On ADRA–Australia estimates, the he Adventist Development and Relief evaluators that it saved at least six lives. injecting room would take eight years of TAgency (ADRA)–Australia recently “Injecting-room report data showed that operation, or $A19.55 million, before it prepared an analysis and report there was one heroin fatality for could claim to have saved one life. It is for Drug Free Australia, critical every 190,000 injections on the asking the NSW Government to close the of claims made by supporters of streets of Kings Cross,” says Mr injecting room in favour of drug the injecting room in Kings Christian. “Because the injecting rehabilitation. Cross. room supervised less than 35,000 Drug Free Australia, which used ADRA’s The analysis of the Kings Cross heroin injections during its 18 analysis, is a relatively new peak commun- Injecting Room Report shows that months of operation, or less than ity group set up to oppose drug legalisation the injecting room is most likely a mere one-fifth the number of measures in Australia. Major Brian Watters, increasing heroin sales in the injections associated with a single the Prime Minister’s key adviser on drug Gary Christian. Kings Cross area. heroin fatality, it cannot even issues, is patron of the organisation.— Data within the report, which drew no claim to have saved one life.” Bruce Manners comment from the injecting room evaluat- ion team, shows that injecting-room clients had 36 times more overdoses than Freedom on the European agenda heroin users on the streets of Kings Cross. “People do not overdose by injecting the Brussels, Belgium usual amount of heroin,” says Gary s moderator for the first morning session of an Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Christian, Chief Operations Officer for AHuman Rights and Freedom of Religion at the European Parliament in Brussels ADRA–Australia. “Overdoses are more on September 17, Dr Jonathan Gallagher reminded participants that the treatment of likely the result of experimenting with minorities were a clear indicator of the state of freedom in any nation. higher doses of the illicit drug, and higher Dr Gallagher is the associate director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty at the heroin consumption inevitably means General Conference, in Washington, DC. increased sales and profits for the local The conference brought together parliamentarians from a number of national criminal suppliers.” legislatures, including Egypt, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Italy, Croatia, Ukraine, Estonia, Other findings of the analysis were that Russia, Romania and Sweden, together with representatives of international bodies, the injecting room had not saved even one religious groups and non-government organisations.—Viola Hughes life during its first 18 months of operation, KidSpeak—Adventist children speak about their world Children from Armadale and Livingston churches, WA, were asked, “What do you like best about your Sabbath school and lesson?”
Name: Kimberly Burnie Name: Emily Schirmer Name: Jared Harvey Name: Connor Townsend Age: 9 years old Age: 11 years old Age: 11 years old Age: 6 years old We can learn about Jesus I like singing lots of songs, The games we play when I like learning about Africa, and the Holy Spirit and learning the Bible lessons, answering Bible questions. singing songs and being how He died for us to save seeing my friends and Getting to talk with my friendly. Uncle Les makes us from our sins. We meet, learning lots of new things friends, stories and stuff our lesson fun, like making sing and do lots of activites. about Jesus. like nature walks. a marshmellow temple.
October 11, 2003 3 NEWSFRONT Lighting up Victoria, together Nunawading, Victoria their own,” says Pastor Glenn Townend, to the worldwide church’s he members of the the evangelism coordinator for Victoria Year of Evangelism. Tchurch in Victoria are and the minister of Living Waters, a “There’s something excit- working together to share company based at the church’s Gilson ing about big events, and their faith with those in College in Melbourne’s north-west. the Year of Evangelism, their community. “Everyone’s having a go.” when Adventists over the This is part of a project Pastor Townend and his team are, too. world will focus on sharing called Light Up Victoria, Living Waters has been running adult- their faith, is a big event,” which, in turn, is part of the education courses focusing on topics such says Pastor Chester Stanley, Pastor Chester Australian Union Conference’s (AUC) as parenting and vegetarian cooking. the president of the AUC. Stanley. Light Up Australia. The goal of Light Up Attendance has ranged from 12 to 70 “We were thinking of challenging only Australia is to run 1000 prophecy seminars people. “The principal of the school and our ministers to run prophecy seminars, across the country in 2004. one of the chaplains are running our but anyone, anywhere can run prophecy The majority of Victoria’s 83 Adventist prophecy seminars.” seminars. You don’t have to be a minister to churches and companies have agreed to Light Up Victoria will begin with evan- get involved with the Year of Evangelism.” begin 120 prophecy seminars during the gelistic programs from February 20 to Pastor Stanley, who will be running his same week, March 14-20, next year. March 14. Pastor Geoff Youlden, presenter own seminar, says the time is right for the Working together in this way helps with of The Search video series—Adventist Year of Evangelism. “We don’t live in a laid- promotion. The church plans to advertise Media estimates more than 10,000 Austral- back Australia anymore. People are the seminars on television and in metro- ians watched the series in 2002—will uncertain about the future. It’s an politan daily newspapers and to operate a present three of the programs in the east, opportunity to share some of the answers centralised call centre for inquiries. north-west and south-east of Melbourne. we have for the future. Adventists can’t keep “Local churches are not out there on Light Up Australia is the AUC’s response quiet at a time like this.”—Brenton Stacey First female treasurer for Fiji Mission Conference put Suva, Fiji he Fiji Mission has appointed a new on canvas Ttreasurer. Suruj Deo is the first woman Sydney, NSW to serve in the position. She is also one of rtwork representing the Greater only 300 Adventist Indians—they make ASydney Conference was recently hung up 1.3 per cent of church membership— in the foyer of the conference office. The in Fiji. triptych (three sections) is 6.7 metres long “I am a woman, I am Indian, I lack some and includes scenes of the city, suburbs qualifications, but I have experience,” she and parks that make up the conference. says. The painting was done by Pastor Ken Mrs Deo worked as a secretary and as an Mead, a retired minister who grew up in the accountant at the church’s Tailevu, Fiji- Sydney suburb of Manly and worked in based tertiary institution, Fulton College, Suruj Deo, the first woman to serve as ministry for 20 years in the city. He now after graduating in 1980. She began treasurer in the Fiji Mission. lives in Victoria and recently turned 80. working for the church in Fiji in 1985, first understands the system.” as an accounts clerk, then senior James Kent, the treasurer of the Trans- accountant and chief accountant before Pacific Union, says Mrs Deo’s appointment becoming associate treasurer at the sends a message to the community. “We beginning of this year. should employ people based on their ability “My biggest challenge as treasurer will be to do the job and their commitment to the to help the mission become a conference,” job, not on their gender or their ethnicity.” says Mrs Deo. Deo encourages more women to work “Suruj has been in our accounts team the for the church, and not just in fields such as longest,” says the president of the Fiji business. “Women can work in any field,” Mission, Pastor Tom Osborne. “She she says.—Brenton Stacey Pastor Ken Mead.
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SPECIAL PRICES UNTIL DECEMBER 31 ONLY LETTERS
A matter of taste Anne Pedersen, NSW amount of counselling will help resolve it. I finally tried McDonald’s/Sanitarium The end result is tragedy—a broken Norman H Young, NSW new Vege Burger and what a sad joke! I marriage or possibly a man going “over The Sanitarium Health Food Company would doubt that anyone would be the edge” with even worse consequences. is to be congratulated on its sponsorship attracted to “healthy vegetarian eating” on of Kids TRYathlon events. This is an the basis of my experience. We could have David Hancock, NSW outstanding corporate contribution to spent the $A3.25 more profitably. Definite- Australian and New Zealand societies, as ly not a positive advertisement for Sanitar- It is a sad fact that most abuse is perpet- is its contribution to our respective diets. ium; sorry. rated by men. However, it is a sobering fact I’ve now tried one of the company’s tasty that most abusers are themselves victims Vege Burgers (Newsfront, August 9), and of abuse, usually as children, although this would like to defend its association with Break the cycle is no excuse. Surely the most effective McDonald’s. Peter Schaper response to abuse is to prevent it—short- If the writer’s view in “Selling our circuiting the recurring cycle of being McSouls to Maccas” (Letters, September What a pity that Joy Butler (“Response abused then abusing. 13) prevailed, Sanitarium could not trade. to domestic violence,” August 16) gives no Christianity teaches the application of Australia’s two biggest retailers are leaders more than token acknowledgement that grace as the only ultimately effective in the sale of liquor and cigarettes (major women initiate violence. The article serves remedy for sin. So why, then, does the factors in the incidence of ill health and social dysfunction) to say nothing of fatty We can be grateful that Sanitarium is foods, nutritionally poor snack foods and helping McDonald’s provide a healthy sugary sweets. These two giants have transformed the landscape of Australian option for its customers. small business—a concern of the writer. to promote the myth that domestic current climate of response to abuse in the As for pollution, the millions of plastic violence is always the fault of the man, church rely so heavily on notions of shopping bags distributed by these two regardless of its footnote. shame, vindictiveness, anger and stereo- retailers is a greater concern than the Domestic violence and abuse is not a typing, as demonstrated in Jodie Flint’s recyclable cardboard container in which I gender problem; rather, it is a person “Not acceptable!” (September 20)? It’s received my Salads Plus Vege Burger. problem. Only when we take the gender these emotions that are responsible for the Sanitarium’s products share super- bias out of our attitude toward it will we abuse in the first place. market shelves with cereals of up to 50 per begin to make progress in dealing with it. To forgive is not to excuse, but to cent sugar and waterplus® jostles with Maintain the current gender bias and heal is the Christian way; any other is internationally advertised, sugar-laden soft marriages and families will continue to be not Christian. drinks. But the writer might respond that destroyed by domestic violence, many of there are also many healthful food choices them unnecessarily. If abused men were available in the supermarkets. believed instead of ridiculed or regarded as More help, please Indeed, and that’s why we can be grate- abusers, appropriate counselling might Shirley Passmore, NSW ful that Sanitarium is helping McDonald’s save many marriages and families, but provide a healthy option for its customers. when the victim is held responsible, no I’ve just spent three months touring Queensland and can’t believe the lack of signage advertising the location of Advent- Just a coincidence ist churches. Please, get information in places such as local papers and in welcom- ing brochures.
A comprehensive address list of churches is available at the web site
Note: Views in Letters do not necessarily represent those of the editors or the denomination. Letters should be less than 250 words, and writers must include their name, address and phone number. All letters are edited to meet space and literary requirements, but the author’s original meaning will not be changed. Not all letters received are published. See masthead (page 2) for contact details.
October 11, 2003 29 NOTICEBOARD
Children’s Sabbath School leaders . . . Positions vacant Project Manager—Signs Publishing Company is seeking a Project Are you short on resources? Manager to work with the General Manager to: assist in a growth strategy for Signs Publishing Company; identify opportunities for product development, process improvement, customer services and growth areas; analyse cause-and-effect Your Adventist Book Centre can help you. relationships and implications of project studies; plan, direct and coordinate activities of designated projects to ensure that goals or objectives of projects are Check out their accomplished within prescribed time frame and funding parameters. As an applicant you should have demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills, and Christian Imprints business-plan implementation. A full position description is available on request. Initial inquiries or written applications and résumé may be directed to Mrs product line for . . . Lesley Wood, Signs Publishing Company, Warburton, Vic 3799. Phone (03) 5966 9111 or email
Adventist Book Centres . . . The South Pacific Division (Wahroonga, NSW) is seeking applicants for the following positions: Business Manager: Atoifi Hospital, Solomon Islands; Bursar: here to help you! Pacific Adventist University, Port Moresby, PNG; Accounting/IT Lecturer: Pacific Adventist University, Port Moresby, PNG; Industrial Technology Lecturer: Pacific Adventist University, Port Moresby, PNG; Nursing Lecturer: Pacific Adventist Phone (03) 9259 2159 or email University, Port Moresby, PNG. For further information please visit the
30 October 11, 2003 NOTICEBOARD
2003 Applications convention Close November 28 come up to the mountain Special guest speakers Evensong and great music Kosciusko walk New year’s eve party Fun and fellowship
Daddy Sang Bass • Built On Amazing Grace • Good-bye World Medley • The Gift of a Lifetime • Just a Closer Walk With Thee • Down From His Glory • There’s Something Going On • Everybody Will Be Happy • Over in the Gloryland • Shine On Us • A perfect Heart • I Have Returned • We Speak to Nations • America the Beautiful • Star Spangled Banner • This Land Is Your Land • President George Bush Feature • God Bless America/America the Beautiful Adventist Alpine Village Freedom is deliverance from the chains of sin which Jindabyne NSW has bound each one of us. So join with us. Sing along, and experience His “Spirit of Freedom!” December 30 - January 4 For application forms phone Jan Bolst 02 9847 3306 Available now from your ABC bookshop and Adventist Media
Blacktown SDA church 70th executive style quality homes are achiev- Advertisements anniversary—November 15, 2003. Past ing higher capital growth with strong members, pastors and friends invited for rental demand. We also give you a three- youth mag Note: Neither the editor, Signs Publish- special Sabbath celebration, luncheon and year rental guarantee at no extra charge out next week ing Company, nor the Seventh-day sacred concert in the afternoon. Any and our internal accountant will arrange Adventist Church is responsible for the memorabilia will be appreciated and ATO approval of your weekly tax reduc- quality of goods or services advertised. returned. For lunch bookings/memorabil- tion by possibly 70%. We give you expert Whispering Willows Health Retreat. Publication does not indicate endorse- ia contact: Vione Beyers
October 11, 2003 31