The Core Of Adventism

By Eglan Brooks, Personal Ministries Director, BUC

The Personal Ministries Department of the British Union Conference are pleased to announce the launch of The Core of Adventism on Sabbath, 10 May in the London district of churches. The Core of Adventism is a dual programme that incorporates a week-long evangelistic series for all church members along with a four-day Bible Conference for Ministers and local church Elders.

The Bible Conference will begin at 10:30 on Monday, 12 May at the Stoke Newington church and continue till 3:30pm each day until Thursday, 15 May.

The emphasis of The Core of Adventism is to restudy the key doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Knowing and correctly understanding the church’s beliefs will enable members to be more effective witnesses. "It is important for us to understand what we believe as a people," states Pastor Don McFarlane, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland. In his online interview he expressed his joy in the teachings of the Adventist Church and their centre in "the magnificence of Jesus Christ". Introducing "The Core of Adventism", a series of seminars and evangelistic presentations to run in London, 10 – 17 May, he stated, "I hope that our understanding of our core beliefs especially will be sharpened… We need to understand those doctrines that point towards Jesus as Creator, as Lord, as Saviour."

The speakers for the Bible Conference are Dr Pedrito Maynard Reid, Walla Walla College, Dr Steve Currow, Newbold College and Dr Radisa Antic, Ellen White Estate.

In the evening there are three further speakers, Pastor R Kennedy (USA) who will speak at the Tottenham Holcombe Road church (John Loughborough School) to the members in North London, district 6a. Pastor M Dyson (USA) will address the members in East London, district 6c, at the Stoke Newington church and Pastor Frederick Paul (India) will minister to members in West London, district 6d at the Chiswick church.

Click here to watch the introductory video (or right click and "save target as" to download the clip).

Visit youtube and learn the "Core of Adventism" Theme Song.

Pastor Eglan Brooks, together with SEC President, Pastor Sam Davis and the London Area coordinators, has been instrumental in putting together the programme with a range of top Adventist speakers from the UK and around the world. He says, "The Bible Conference will offer ministers and elders an opportunity to revisit some key theological issues as well as give some insight into new practical areas of ministry." He hopes that the event will help to "adjust the old paradigm for ministry".

The Core of Adventism if for you. Please make every effort to attend!

For further information please email: ebrooks@adventist.org.uk or phone 01923 672251.

SEC President Urges Members to “Rediscover Core Beliefs”

Just over 15 years ago something happened that shook Adventism around the world but even more so Adventism in the UK. I recall sitting at the dining table with my family watching in disbelief as the compound at Waco was engulfed in flames. I was a young pastor at the time and could not believe that one of my members perished in the flames. We were a church in turmoil. In the North an entire family was wiped out.

What was it that caused Seventh-day Adventists in good and regular standing to abandon the core of Adventism? What was it that caused those followers to stray from the truths they held so dear to follow a “messiah” who styled himself as “God made flesh?” Many books have been written, interviews conducted and documentaries made all seeking to understand what happened.

What is clear is that those who perished in the compound at Waco had become increasingly discontented with the core beliefs of the Adventist faith. "Yes," you may say, "their theology, was not sound." But as true as that may be, the fact is too many good people followed Koresh to send shock waves throughout the world.

Waco may be forgotten but the mistakes of Waco are still being made. Members continue to follow after dissident groups who have become disaffected with the church. They entertain new “gurus” who purport to have “the truth”, and are now able to lead us to the “promised land.”

How can we protect our members and show them what we are all about and what our core teachings are? The Core of Adventism seeks to deal with exactly that. An initiative of the Personal Ministries Department of the BUC, it seeks through preaching and teaching to bring us back to traditional and godly based Adventism.