48 Cover 30/11/04 5:20 PM Page 1 executive committee SOUTH PACIFIC DIVISIONyear-end Meeting 16 - 18 november 2004 RECORD estimated $A800,000 every five years. The discussion paper suggests the SPD officers and executive committee be appointed by SPD delegates at General Conference sessions, with departmental leaders elected and reports delivered to the first meeting of the newly appointed executive committee. The proposal will be discussed further, before being considered at the SPD session to be held in Melbourne, beginning August 30 next year. “We need to ensure we’re operating as efficiently as we can and accept the way we’ve done things in the past is not necessarily the best for the future,” says Pastor Evans. Restructure pays dividends And committee members have received evidence such initiatives can make a Church considers proposals difference. Funding for mission has increased almost 50 per cent since the restructure of the Seventh-day Adventist to facilitate mission Church in the South Pacific. It now totals almost $A15 million. Treasurer Rod Brady Wahroonga, NSW released the figures in his year-end report. roposals to streamline church structure and The review committee—including repres- Support for expatriates in the Pacific Prelease more resources for mission were entatives of administrators from the SPD, islands has increased by more than $A2 presented to the South Pacific Division (SPD) union conferences and one local conference, million since the church’s most recent executive committee’s year-end meetings, held other church employees and church session in 2000. And the money granted November 16-18. members—will consult with the departments from the church to its Pacific A committee has been established to review and services under review and more widely. island–based union missions has SPD departments and services “to determine Pastor Evans also presented a “Division increased by almost $A2.5 million. the most effective means of assisting the Session Discussion Proposal” to committee “The mission areas of our church have church in the South Pacific Division to fulfil its members. “We’ve released the paper now to experienced extreme financial difficulties mission.” capitalise on the growing awareness of over the past five years,” says Mr Brady in “The review of our departments and session,” Pastor Evans explains. “What better his report. “One can only contemplate services follows on from one the worldwide time to focus on the time and cost it takes to what would have happened if additional church took recently,” says SPD president hold a session?” resources had not gone to the Pacific.” Pastor Laurie Evans. “The committee’s Presently, the SPD is the only one of the 13 The SPD voted to change its admin- purpose is to ensure we’re operating as world divisions that holds regular division istrative structure in 2000, reducing the efficiently as we can and deploying our sessions and such sessions do not fit with the number of its unions from five to four. resources—human and financial—in the most structure of church governance of the See RECORD, November 20, for the full profitable way to further the mission of the worldwide church. According to the discussion treasurer’s report.—Nathan Brown/ church.” paper, dispensing with sessions would save an Brenton Stacey ISSN 0819-5633 48 Newsfront 30/11/04 5:22 PM Page 8 SOUTH PACIFIC DIVISION year-end Meeting 18 - 20 november 2004 executive committee Reports note challenges from Year of Evangelism success Wahroonga, NSW Papua New Guinea Union Mission focus, maintaining momentum can be an (PNGUM), which has designated 2005 as issue,” commented Pastor Kent. n estimated 14,000 people will be a year of nurture. PNGUM president He highlighted two new projects. In the Abaptised in the South Pacific Pastor Thomas Davai reports there are near future, the Institute of Public Division (SPD) as a direct result of Year of more than 10,000 to be followed up, with Evangelism, of which Pastor Kent is Evangelism initiatives in 2004, according thousands more yet to be identified. director, will launch a new prophecy to reports presented to the year-end SPD “We plan to hold more than 20 major seminar, co-authored by Dr Jon Paulien of executive committee meeting. camp-meetings next year, targeting each of Andrews University (USA) and Dr Presenting an overview of Year of the provinces of Papua New Guinea,” says Graeme Bradford of Avondale College. Evangelism activities, Pastor Anthony Pastor Davai. “We will invite all the And planning has begun for a new Kent, secretary of the SPD Ministerial interests from this year’s evangelism evangelistic video series to be produced in Association, noted some challenges arising programs. We will also invite the evang- 2006. out of this success. elists who have presented programs this Pastor Chester Stanley, president of the The first challenge from the Year of year to return but with a different Australian Union Conference, also sees Evangelism is the nurture of new approach, to grow these people in their that the success of intentional evangelism members. Pastor Kent said the primary Christian life and prepare them for should encourage continued outreach. aim is to engage new members with local baptism.” Noting a 20 per cent increase in baptisms church congregations. “We are inviting While this may represent something of a in Australia this year as compared with church members who are nurture oriented change in emphasis, church leaders also previous years, Pastor Stanley reflected, to take the initiative to connect with new reminded committee members that using analogy from Jesus’ words, “If you members,” he said. evangelism is ongoing, not limited to a go fishing, there are fish out there to be This focus is being taken up by the designated year. “After a year of special caught.”—Nathan Brown President reflects on year-end meetings Wahroonga, NSW us, these actions are compatible with what becoming more hurch president Pastor Laurie Evans we claim to be on about.” aware of the need Cdescribes the agenda of the South One of the devotionals during the for Adventists in the Pacific Division (SPD) executive meetings featured a DVD of Dr Tony South Pacific to committee’s year-end meetings as “one of Campolo speaking at the first International commit more fully Pastor Laurie Evans. the most significant in decades.” Conference on Adventists in the to the worldwide Pastor Evans noted the need for “com- Community. Pastor Evans explains: “Dr work of our church,” says Pastor Evans. “I prehensive communications plans” in Campolo moved us out of our comfort think a spirit of independence has relation to agenda items such as the possible zone to think of what it means to serve as developed unconsciously in this region over sale of the Manly flats and the abolition of Jesus served. We must take Dr Campolo’s time, to the detriment of other qualities.” the division session. “I hope church challenge seriously. Where do we stand on So what does mission mean to Pastor members, once they understand the intent the big issues such as the environment and Evans? “Mission to me means witness and of our actions, see the wisdom of these poverty? What is our response to these and outreach. And it means nurture—caring decisions,” he comments. “I hope they other such issues?” for the welfare and spiritual wellbeing of recognise if we’re serious about mission, and The meetings also focused on the SPD’s church employees and members.” if we want to complete the task assigned to contribution to the worldwide church. “I’m —Brenton Stacey OFFICIAL PAPER Editor Nathan Brown 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 Editorial assistant Scott Wegener Phone: (03) 5966 9111 Fax: (03) 5966 9019 ACN 000 003 930 Copyeditor Graeme Brown Email Letters: [email protected] Editorial secretary Meryl McDonald-Gough Email Newsfront: [email protected] Vol 109 No 48 Layout Jason Piez Email Noticeboard: [email protected] Cover: ANN South SPD news correspondent Brenton Stacey Subscriptions: South Pacific Division mailed within Pacific Senior consulting editor Barry Oliver Australia and to New Zealand, $A43.80 $NZ73.00. www.record.net.au Other prices on application. Printed weekly. 2 December 11, 2004 48 Flashpoint 30/11/04 5:19 PM Page 3 SOUTH PACIFIC DIVISION These meetings occur twice a year to overview the mission year-end of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its activities, providing a forum for nominated members across the Meeting South Pacific to contribute to policy and future direction. 18 - 20 november 2004 executive committee ● Two Adventist churches in ● A mission emphasis of the Australia will receive grants year-end meetings was the this year to help construct Communicator remembered receipt of reports from each new worship buildings. of the SPD’s institutions Caloundra in Queensland embers of the South Pacific focusing on ethos and and Wangaratta in Victoria MDivision’s executive committee put mission—how they uphold (pictured below, before aside church business to remember the and contribute to the mission extension work began) will life of a long-serving communicator. of the church. These reports receive $A30,000 and They recorded as their first action an were received from Sydney $A20,000 respectively from official message of condolence to the Adventist Hospital, the the Church Building Grants family of Pastor Kevin Townend, the Adventist Media Centre, Reserve of the South Pacific former operations manager at Adventist Avondale College, Pacific Division (SPD). The church’s Media who died on November 12 after Adventist University and executive committee gives the a long battle with cancer.