"OW 4 IY1 Ili/ Al ri RECORD 1 0 1 9 9 9 mot In this issue The Balkans and us Should the Vatican be a state? Book review: It's Time New spirit builds in Vanuatu editorial MISSIONS NEED YOUR MONEY A urprise, surprise, surprise. After tithes and offerings will never come Bob Larsen says, "A division employ- being presented with a lei and near the cost of running the mission." ee recently donated 1500 books to swelcomed by a choir, I was share between our ministers. They introduced as the auditor of the What are the needs? were rapt." South Pacific Division during a dis- Needs in the Western Pacific can trict meeting at the Batuna Adventist be grouped in three categories. How can you help? Vocational School in the Western • A need for more permanent • Pray for the work of the church Province of the Solomon Islands last church buildings and repairs to exist- in the Pacific islands, and "write a month. ing buildings. Bush material churches note to let us know you're doing (Bob Stratford and other auditors at on Guadalcanal last up to 10 years. that," adds Pastor Eaton. the division needn't worry. I'm an But if a cyclone hits, they might last • Financially support the work of editor not an auditor for good rea- only five years. the church in the islands through sons.) And at Atoifi Adventist Hospital on mission offerings and donations. The mistake was unintentional, but Malaita, "building maintenance has "Anything happening in Kiribati is I soon became aware of the prob- been non-existent for the past 10 happening because of private dona- lems missions in the Western Pacific years," says chief executive officer Dr tions," says Pastor Dunn. "Tithe, Union Mission (and most places in Narko Tutuo. "The hospital's been offering and appropriations simply the Pacific) have with money—the forced to use repair and maintenance pay for the operation of the office lack of it. funds for operating costs." and the wages of the ministers. "I'm frustrated," says Eastern • A need for more trained minis- There's no money for evangelism, Solomon Islands Mission (ESIM) pres- ters. On average, every minister in there's no money for development, ident Pastor Ray Eaton. "Whether we the Western Pacific cares for 300 there's no money for maintenance, have a system that's too hard to com- members and four churches. A minis- there's no money for anything." prehend, I don't know. But we're so ter on the island of Choiseul in the • Personally support the work of far behind with this accounting busi- Solomon Islands cares for 15 church- the church in the mission field. ness, you end up flying by the seat es! "It's an enormous cost to come out of your pants." "Some can't meet the demand," here on a fly'n'build," says Pastor More bad news. Tithe-giving in the says Western Solomon Islands Mission Eaton, "but if you don't come, you're ESIM will, says Pastor Eaton, be secretary Pastor Luther Taniveke. probably not going to give that "drastically affected" because of the "When their travel budget runs out, money anyway, and if you do come, ethnic tension on Guadalcanal. they can't visit their churches." you'll get motivated because of what Rapid growth in the Malaita Pastor Dunn says, "We can't import you see." Mission is straining finances and ministers [into Kiribati] because the Pastor Dunn adds, "People are stretching resources. The mission is country speaks its own language. missing out if they don't accept calls planning to baptise 1200 people this And we can't afford to train any to serve in cross-cultural ministry." year (it baptised 320 in the first quar- young people. So, hopefully, we can Reports about the work of the ter), but "the new converts are all equip local churches to run without church in the Western Pacific non-wage earners," says the presi- relying on a minister." will follow in the com- dent, Pastor Baxton Ri'imana. • A need for more resources. ing weeks in RECORD. It's the isolation that's straining "We have a guy out here who pro- Sense the needs as finances in the Kiribati Mission. duces resources," says Pastor Eaton, you read and ask, "Small churches on isolated islands "but they aren't that good because "How can I help?" with expensive transport between the he's not qualified to produce islands makes it difficult," says the resources. He is me." president, Pastor Colin Dunn. "Our Vanuatu Mission secretary Pastor Brenton Stacey Next week Official Paper Manuscripts Should be sent to The Editor, RECORD, South Pacific Division Signs Publishing Company, Warburton, Victoria 3799. ACN 000 003 930 &A/ENT-114m Manuscripts or computer disks will only be returned if ADvarrisr accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Editor Bruce Manners CHURCH Phone: (03) 5966 9111 Senior assistant editor Lee Dunstan Fax: (03) 5966 9019 Sanitarium: Is it Editorial assistant Brenton Stacey Email: record0a 1 .com.au Editorial secretary Meryl McDonald-Gough Senior consulting editor Barry Oliver Subscriptions South Pacific Division, $A40.00 really so good? $NZ73.00. All other regions, $A70.00. Air mail rates on application. Order from Signs Publishing Company, Vol 104 No 26 Warburton, Victoria 3799, Australia. Printed weekly by Cover photo: B Stacey Signs Publishing Company. 4 July 10, 1999 adventist life THE CAMP THAT WOULDN'T CANCEL by Adrian Raethel ver come to the end of a lem, the facility demanding and hectic day we wanted to F only to discover that you have use at a church meeting to go to? You real- Howqua was ly don't have any energy left. You being reno- don't feel like going and you wish vated. someone would cancel the meeting. There That's how I felt about one of our had camps recently. been March had been busy—a youth delays CALM PENS rally, Friday night program, and it 11.111111$ LIM RETURN Pathfinder fair, committee meetings wasn't etc. Then, commencing with Easter, ready. Mike Collum (the associate youth We director in our conference) and I could had planned a series of three camp on camps, back to hack, with two of the river flat, them at opposite ends of the state. but that would have parts of the The first, an inter-conference meant lots of extra gear, Victorian High Country, youth camp went well, but we lead- setting up an outdoor kitchen, pitch- capping that off with a closing ers don't get a lot of sleep during ing tents and so on. Sabbath worship that encouraged such events. We arrived back at the And I had family visiting from the teens to overcome the obstacles campground in Nunawading, Vic, at interstate. If I went to camp, I'd only in their own lives. 11 pm on Easter Monday after dri- have had a short time to spend with Most importantly, around the ving for eight hours, only to have to them. I mean it wouldn't be fair to camp fire on several occasions, we unload the truck from that camp. leave my wife to look after my rela- had the opportunity to share Jesus Then we reloaded it ready for our tives. Anyway, that's how I reasoned. with these teens. They asked ques- New Vision camp beginning the While the New Vision camp was tions openly about God, their school next morning at Camp Howqua on, I rang our youth secretary and, life, how to cope with peer pressure some three hours drive away. The to my dismay, the applications for and why we had chosen to be in blind campers were arriving at Teen Camp now far exceeded the youth ministry. 9 am. Fortunately, Mike was there, minimum number I had set. Despite We could see God working. On waiting with the counsellors. my best efforts and my desire to the Saturday night a group of teens That camp also went smoothly, cancel, God had other ideas. set up an impromptu prayer meeting. with the biggest drama being a flat I told Him He would need to give We must never underestimate the tyre on our service vehicle. We did- me the energy to run the camp. value of our camping ministry in the n't even have a trip to hospital— God doesn't let us down. It soon Adventist Church. There's something that's always a good sign. But again, became obvious why He wanted us precious about taking groups of leaders don't tend to get a lot of to run this camp. We had teens young people into a natural setting. sleep at camps and by this stage my come to the camp who live in small Camping gets them—and us—away energy level was low and falling. country towns with small Adventist from our electronic gadgets, and it The third camp we'd planned was churches where there is little activity can teach us so much about our- Teen Camp. We've been working for their age group. selves, about God and His creation. hard to build up our teen camps Several teens came from homes It also provides an opportunity to over the past few years because with difficult backgrounds. Teens share Jesus in an open and authen- they had gone through a low period came who aren't in a Pathfinder tic manner. where there was not enough interest club and don't have the opportunity After two camps I was tired and to run them.