Southwestern Union Record for 1985
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Adventist Review RecorSOUTHWESTERN UNION Professor Clarence Dortch, longtime teacher of music at Southwestern Adventist College and elsewhere, played the piano for a Sabbath service at the Texas Conference Retired Workers' Retreat at Nameless Valley Ranch. (See story on page 121.) RECORD REVIEW, November 28, 1984 — 16A Don't Talk to Me About Square - Up! Every year about this time, I write to the members of the know the incredible work they put in to get everything Southwestern Union about "square-up" time. December is "squared-up." I've also watched them stand at the door and the time in the Christian calendar when we get our commit- greet every guest, giving each a booklet or a reminder of the ments to the church and to others squared away, settled, real reason for Christmas. made right. Now if those families can put in so much time and effort to "Square-up?" you shout, as you throw up your hands. "Let make everything square for a crowd of strangers, how much me tell you about December! Merry Christmas? Sometimes thought and effort ought we to give to make sure our Best I'm tempted to say, `Bah, humbug!' I'm hurrying to shop, Friend, our Elder Brother, is treated just right, treated clean, write cards, go to programs, get the house ready for all squarely? the friends and relatives who stop by this time of year. How The people who host the Candlewalk dare not leave details can I think about anything else?" undone until the last minute, because others are depending on But there are people in a nearby town who make our prepa- them. rations for holiday hospitality seem like "a piece of (fruit) Please don't leave your commitments to Jesus Christ — cake." They're the men and women who live in a handful of whether they are spiritual or monetary or anything else — old homes in Cleburne, Texas, and who open their homes until the last minute. Others in the church, and the crowd each year to 3000-plus visitors during Cleburne's Christmas outside, are depending on you. Candlewalk. Max A. Trevino, Treasurer, You and I try to have everything at home "just so" for Southwestern Union Conference. visitors, but 3000 in one day? Talk about throwing up your hands! They spend November painting, papering, landscap- ing, scrubbing. The first week in December is given over to decorating. And not just any decorating. The Save Old Cle- December 21 burne organization must approve every decoration. No plas- Is tic or aluminum tinsel on this tour! Everything must be turn-of- the century. World Stewardship Day I've watched Ben Leach, and his wife Helen, greet all those visitors in their home during four Christmas seasons, and I People call in as a result of their interest aroused through literature or a Bible course. An operator answers Bible ques- Spotlight tions, provides information about Seventh-day Adventists, and offers additional literature or courses. Good interests are on Soul Winning reported at once to a nearby representative to visit. AIM pro- cesses over 100,000 requests per year. At the end of the Pine Bluff seminar, McCombs requested Man Goes to baptism. "He is a warm person to be around," McNorton says. "The Wrong Church children love him. I'm happy he found the right church. He is Carey McNorton, pastor of the Northside church in Pine one of our ushers now." Eugene Hamlin, Bluff, Arkansas, received a call from the Adventist Informa- Adventist Information Ministry. tion Ministry at Andrews University. He was told that Warren McCombs, an It Is Written viewer, would like to know more about Adventists. AIM links people to a pastor within 24 STILL INGATHERING hours, or as soon as possible. at 90, is Emma Head, of McNorton visited McCombs and found him to be seriously the Roswell, New Mex- interested. And McCombs decided to attend a Revelation ico, English church. She has already reached over Seminar. When he didn't show up the first night, McNorton $1,000 for this year (as of was puzzled, and visited him again. November 2), and What he learned was that McCombs had gone to a wrong expects to equal her last year's total of $1,800. location and visited a Jehovah's Witnesses church. The two She says she has partici- churches are on the same street. Cars were parked around a pated in Ingathering church, and people invited him in. He thought this was the since she was 14, and has no idea what the seminar. total received would be. But it was the wrong church on the right street. Max Martinez, South- McNorton drew a map for him. The next day he found the western Union personal ministries director, says, right church, and started attending every meeting. "Go, and do thou AIM's WATS line telephone service is open 24 hours a day. likewise!" 16B — REVIEW, November 28, 1984 logical strife and military conflicts, Seventh-day Adventists General News desire to be known as peacemakers. We trust your goal is the same," Wilson continued. The Adventist leader said he will ask the nearly five million Seventh-day Adventists in 184 countries to pray for the suc- Leach Announces cess of the Geneva Conference during the denomination's Retirement annual Week of Prayer and "that individually and collectively B. E. Leach announced earlier this we will respond to the appeal of the United Nations to make month that he is retiring from his post as 1986 the International Year of Peace. President of Southwestern Union Con- "Seventh-day Adventists take seriously and personally the ference. A special meeting of the Union following words from the Bible: 'Blessed are the peacemakers: Executive Committee is being called as for they shall be called the children of God," Wilson concluded. soon as possible to deal with the vacancy. ADRA Will Keep Wilson Urges End Western Warehouse of Arms Race The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has Neal C. Wilson, General Conference president, has asked decided to keep in operation its warehouse in Watsonville, the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to end California, reversing the decision announced in early summer the international arms race when they meet November 19-20 to close the West Coast facility. in Geneva. "We decided previously to combine the two warehouses In letters to President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader into one on the East Coast, but recent information shows that Mikhail Gorbachev, Wilson said, "Millions of men, women, it will be more economical to keep both open," says Mario and children around the circle of the earth ... are most an- Ochoa, ADRA's associate director. "The good geographical xious that the (Summit) Conference will be the beginning of the location, the availability of student labor from Monterey Bay end of the international arms race, a contest which consumes Academy, and the awareness of church members about the huge portions of the world's financial resources while millions facility are more reasons we considered." of our human family suffer in poverty and die from famine and During the first three quarters of 1985, the Watsonville ware- disease." house received 790,640 pounds of clothing and shipped out Wilson urged the American and Soviet leaders "to find ways 1,069,113 pounds. Included in the 129,170 pounds of miscella- whereby nations can channel their energies and resources neous goods shipped were tents, blankets, medical supplies, into positive, non-military, humanitarian endeavors in order to books, seeds, and cots. Among the countries that received make our world a happier, healthier, and safer place to live. shipments were Ethiopia, Sudan, Chile, Thailand, Brazil, Fiji, "In a world filled with hate and struggle, in a world of ideo- and the Philippines. group performs regularly for church Southwestern services as well as in on- and off-campus Adventist concerts. The second Christmas concert will College feature the college band under the direction of Bob Anderson, associate professor of music. It will be presented Music Department on Saturday, December 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Evans Hall Auditorium. Schedules Concerts "Those who love the stirring sound of The music department at Southwest- band music won't want to miss this con- ern Adventist College will spread holi- cert," says Anderson. The 40-piece day cheer with two concerts set for band will give a concert of band favor- December 6 and 7. ites, both old and new. Southwestern Adventist College president Marvin Anderson, left, accepts the second On Friday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m., place award for outstanding performance by a in the campus church, the Southwest- class agent in the BECA program from North ern Choraliers will perform a concert of American Division president Charles E. Brad- Class of 1930 ford, center. Keith Dobbs, assistant vice presi- favorites from Handel's "Messiah." The dent, looks on. program will feature favorite choruses Wins National Award mixed with a few solos. The choir will be Southwestern Adventist College's certain donor/dollar goals, alumni accompanied by Gilson Girotto, pianist, class of 1930 has been awarded second receive bonus funds for their alma and by a string ensemble. place in nationwide competition for par- maters. According to Larry Otto, music ticipation in 1985 college annual fund Since BECA's beginning five years department chairman and choir direc- drives, says President Marvin Anderson. ago, alumni participation has increased tor, the concert is not a performance of The award was given by the Business from 6.5 to 27.3 percent in American the complete work, but rather a selec- Executives' Challenge to Alumni, a Adventist colleges.