AUGUS•T .2000 • • YOUTH CONNECTIONS Greatei-New Yor van• ortheastern .7t,Conference Constitu is Nonprofit Organization REVIEW AND HERALD. U.S. Postage PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION PAID 55 WEST OAK RIDGE DRIVE Hagerstown, MD HAGERSTOWN, MD 21740 Permit No. 261 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED [DITORIAL Training vs. Trying magine the telephone ringing, interrupting intermittent or during a crisis. We try, but your Twinkie-eating, TV-watching evening. often fall short. Spiritual growth and trans IThe voice on the other end says, "Good formation is not a matter of trying harder, News! I'm calling from the United States but of training wiser over the entirety of of Olympic Committee. We are looking for life. The grace of God is available to trans- someone to run the marathon in the next form us and His power will help us. Yet w Olympics. Based on our search of the statis- must place ourselves in a setting where Gc tics from the president's physical fitness test can accomplish His work in us. Paul wrot given in grade school, we have determined to Timothy, "Train yourself in godliness."' that you have the body type, bone structure, Dallas Willard, a thoughtful writer on spin etc. to be a marathon runner. We want you tuality, has written, "Following 'in his step; on the squad because you have a chance of cannot be equated with behaving as he dic winning the gold. when he was 'on the spot.' To live as Chri The grace of You are surprised by this because in recent lived is to live as he did all his life. We years the farthest you have ever run is from must learn to follow his preparations, the the couch to the refrigerator. But as you think disciplines for life in God's rule that enable God is about it, you begin to get inspired by the him to receive his Father's constant and eff prospect. You can see yourself mingling with tive support while doing his will."' available to elite athletes, standing on the podium after A discipline, according to John Ortberg, the race, hearing the national anthem, and "any activity I can do by direct effort that N transform us bending low to receive the gold medal. You help me do what I cannot now do by direr begin to sense the urgency, the opportunity, effort." And a spiritual discipline is "any the destiny. For this, you were born. This idea activity that can help me gain power to livt andflis power becomes the passion of your life. You think life as Jesus taught and modeled it."4 Many about the event every waking moment. things can be spiritual disciplines. Basic on will help us. But then it dawns on you. Right now you include prayer, Bible study and meditation cannot run a marathon—even if you try service, simplicity, etc. These things we car really hard. Trying hard at the time of the intentionally choose to practice. And as we marathon can accomplish only so much. If begin to make them part of our daily lives, you are serious about this destiny you will the grace and power of God will be able to have to start a life of training. Certain prac- do in us what we cannot do on our own. tices will need to become part of your daily routine. When it comes to running a Benjamin D. Schoun is president of the marathon, you must train, not merely try.' Northern New England Conference. This principle applies also to spiritual 1 Adapted from John Ortberg, THE LIFE YOU'VE ALWAY growth. This issue of the GLEANER has the WANTED (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997) pp. 45, theme of personal spiritual faith and relation- 2 I Timothy 4:7 RSV ship with God. A typical Christian reaction is 3 Dallas Willard, THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLINES (New z to try harder to have more faith, or to York: HarperCollins, 1988) pp. 5, 9. become more spiritual, or to know God bet- 4 Onberg, pp 51, 52. C C ter. But these periods of trying are often C August 2000, Vol. XCIX, No. 8. The Atlantic Union GLEANER is published monthly by the Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 400 Main Street, South Lancaster, MA 01561. Printed by Review and Herald' Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Third-class postage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Annual subscription price, 58.00. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Review and Herald' Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. iscArk 2 WHAT'S 11151D[ You Need a 2 Editorial: Training vs Trying To 3elong To FEATURES Church Why You Need a Church To 3 job promotion, sad things—like loss of Belong To n a society that segregates the old from young, the rich from the poor, a parent, frightening things—like loss 4 Greater New York I the successful from the struggling, of employment. When something very Conference Constituency the house of worship [should repre- good like a marriage proposal or some- Report sent] one place where all barriers fall thing sad like a departure of a dear friend happens, isn't our first impulse 4 Northeastern Conference and we all stand equal before God. It is to call someone to tell about it? There Constituency Report where people [should] no longer see others as superiors or inferiors but as is nothing sadder than experiencing 5 Church Planting in America brothers and sisters. intense joy or intense grief and having no one to share it with. A home church 6 Building a Personal During those times when I had no [should see] to it that we are not alone Relationship With God home church, I reflected on my invisi- in these emotional peaks. bility and insignificance as an individ- People enter the church as separate 16 Youth Connections ual. In corporations, in universities, at individuals troubled, lonely, and not 17 News from Around the department stores, and at airports, I sure if they are in the right place. Then World Church am only known to computers and in the process of singing together and identified by my social security num- 26 "His Grace Will Lead Them chanting together they are no longer ber just like anybody else. Home" Family Ministries unconnected individuals. Like me, people are many times Convention Doctors have found out that con- made to feel that their presence or nectedness is closely related to health 26 SAC - A New Beginning absence in a place doesn't really matter. and long life. Surely God had His peo- If they were not there, somebody else ple's physical well being in mind when COLLEGE NEWS would be there to take their place. The He established the spiritual communi- 10 Security Amidst Uncertainty church, at least, should recognize my ty. God knows our health gets a boost longing to be told that I matter—that whenever we are lifted out of individ- CONFERENCE NEWS my presence or absence makes a differ- ual isolation and transformed into one ence to somebody. The difference that body, rejoicing in His presence. 12 Northeastern one person can make becomes so The church has her defects . but 13 Bermuda important in church because it is so time and again, I have proven that a rare elsewhere. perfect God always waits for me there. 14 Greater New York I feel there is something lacking in The drawbacks to churchgoing are 18 New York the life of a person who says, "I believe undeniable but as soon as I pray for in God so I don't need a building or God's permission to stay home, He 20 Northern New England formal service to find him." He or she answers by prompting me to get 22 Southern New England has not learned that religion is not a dressed, making it clear that He'd worship service nor a building—it is a rather see me in an imperfect church 2000 t s INFORMATION community. Its purpose is not to put than inside my room. u the individual in touch only, [but] put Once I perceive that God is waiting Aug 24 Bulletin Board him in touch with others. Religion for me in church, I have no other rea- NER, 30 Classifieds after all, is not only a matter of our son to get going except that—I want to GLEA relationship with God but with His honor Him by being there. n io other people, too. About the (over: The photo on the Un ic cover of this issue is a photo composite There are events in the lives of each Adapted by Andy Garcia from sermons t from PhotoDisc images. of us which we don't want to face heard at the Bayanihan church, Greater lan At alone: joyous things—like birth or a New York Conference 3 • • • • • • • • • • • OOOOO • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Greater New York Conference Constituency Report Administrators Re-elected n Sunday, June 11, 2000, over es and six new companies were Gonzalez were re-elected to serve as eight hundred regular delegates formed. Nine new churches were voted administrators of the Greater New Yo! Oand delegates-at-large met at into the sisterhood of churches: Conference for the next triennium. Camp Berkshire in Wingdale, NY for the Bayanihan (Queens), Beulah (Brooklyn), The delegates were unable to com- 51st Triennial Session of the Greater Spanish Brentwood (Brentwood, LI), plete the voted agenda and the sessic New York Conference. The devotional First Russian(Queens), New Jerusalem was recessed until Sunday, September message was presented by Juan Presto!, (Brooklyn), French Peniel (Brooklyn), 17, 2000, at which time they will retu treasurer for the North American Richmond Hills (Queens), French Salem to complete the agenda at Camp Division.