Follow the Bible Sabbath

Sabbath, 12 September was a special Sabbath set aside to celebrate the value of the Bible in our lives and the lives of our communities. Read my Follow the Bible message here or visit the Follow the Bible website for more information and inspiration.

 

Development of Newbold College

Newbold College is our senior training college. With a new degrees on offer in media as well as a strong Bible based curriculum our college provides excellent study opportunities for our young people and mature students. Click here (or right click and save target as) to view a video I have made reflecting on the positive values of "The Newbold Experience". For more on Newbold and its needs see my letter to ministers and churches, 2 September 2009.

Church Planting

Church Planting is an imperative as we strive to see God's work finished here on this earth. I am delighted that so many members are taking bold initiatives to 'strike out' into new territory. In order to help the process run smoothly and for the plants to be an officially recognised part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK & Ireland the BUC Executive Committee voted Guidelines for New Church Plants at its committee on Thursday, 18 September. View the guidelines .

Ask the President in Scotland

The Annual Day of Fellowship in Scotland gave time for representatives from all the churches in Scotland to ask me questions on a diverse range of topics from witnessing to moral standards, music to finding a suitable husband, reacting to negative portrayals of Christianity in the media and how to grow churches in some of the more difficult parts of the UK. The programme is now available for download or viewing on the UK-Hope TV website. I'd be interested in your reactions.

New Year Message

The late Malcolm Muggeridge said the following about his conversion after an Emmaus Road-like experience: 

"I am more convinced than I am of my own existence that the view of life Christ came into the world to preach and died to sanctify, remains as true and as valid as ever, and that all who care to, young and old, healthy and infirm, wise and foolish, with or without A or O Levels, may live thereby, finding in our troubled, confused world, as in all other circumstances, an enlightenment and a serenity not otherwise attainable."  more...

Serenity in a troubled and confused world is one kind of happiness that I wish you to have in 2008.  The factor which serves to make us serene in whatever circumstances we find ourselves is the lordship and love of Christ.  The Psalmist wrote, "Happy is that people whose God is the Lord." (Psalm 144:15) 

When we are assured that Christ is our Lord and that our lives are in His hands we will be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.  We will find wealth in poverty, solace in the midst of strife, joy in service and health in sickness.  Each day, instead of being a period to be endured, will be seen as a gift from God, filled with many opportunities for service and for experiencing tokens of God's love and goodness. 

When I think of having a happy new year my heart also thrills at the thought that the coming of our Lord is even closer than before.  It may not be obvious to all but the coming of Jesus is the event to which all history marches.  As Seventh-day Adventists we are a people who are preparing for this glorious event.  The hope of the Second Coming of Jesus encourages us to hold on to our faith.  Many of us have been waiting a long time for Jesus to return.  We have seen many new years come and go.  Our feet are growing tired.  Let us not give up.  The words of Hebrews 10:35-37 are particularly pertinent to us as we embark on a new period of time and the coming of our Lord seems further delayed: 

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay." 

So, let us be thankful today for all that God has wrought for us in Jesus, for the fact that with Jesus in our 'boat' we can weather any storm with serenity and for the promise that very soon we will see the One who died for us. 

Have a Happy New Year!

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The Adventist Church in 2007

Painting a realistic picture of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland, in this 17 minute feature talks with leaders and members of the church facing up to the joys and challenges of church life, growth and diversity. I would encourage you to watch and be inspired. Hope TV website.

Dialogue with Adventist Youth

On Sabbath, 6 October, 2007 I had a great opportunity to dialogue with a group of youth in the Welsh Mission. This was a "no holes barred" open, unscripted discussion that was filmed by the BUC Media Centre and is now available to view or download on the Hope TV website.

This was an encouraging experience. What a vibrant group of young people! What excellent questions! What passion! In the morning I was the speaker for the Day of Fellowship. During the praise and worship I felt so blessed and moved by the music ministry of these youth. They give hope for the future of our church in Wales and beyond.

Open Letter: Future of Roundelwood Health Spa

On Thursday, 16 August, 2007 the British Union Executive Committee took the decision to close Roundelwood Health Spa. This was a hard decision to take as health is at the centre of our message. To discover the full background to this decision and what the future holds for health ministry in the UK and Ireland click here to read an open letter that I have written to all the ministers and churches in the UK and Ireland. more...

Update: 5 October, 2007. Roundelwood Health Spa and Lifestyle Centre now has a potential buyer giving hope for the continuance of the centre as a Spa and protecting the jobs of current staff. The Good Health Association Board met last weekend after receiving a number of bids for the property. As a result the board is now in negotiation with a buyer who intends to build upon the current ethos of the institution.

Update 23 December 2007: NEW OWNER FOR ROUNDELWOOD Roundelwood, the Adventist health facility in Crieff, Scotland, has been sold to the Henderson Group. British Union Conference Treasurer, Victor Pilmoor joined staff in a farewell on Saturday 8 December as they looked back at an era in Scottish Adventist history introduced by Dr Gertrude Brown back in 1945. The church took over responsibility for the facility in 1964 but with changes in government legislation in the 1980s the facility proved to be financially challenging. Despite heavy investment to run a solid Adventist health programme in Crieff, and despite continued efforts over a period of years the Good Health Association – Scotland regretfully took a decision to put the facility on the market this last September. Thus on Monday, 10 December the Health Spa came under new ownership. The Henderson group will continue to run Roundelwood as a Health Spa and a hotel facility and are safeguarding the jobs of all those currently employed there. We wish the staff and new owners every success for the future.

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Special Event: Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life

On Friday, 27 April I was invited to defend the proposal that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life at the Durham University Debating Society. more...

The speakers to the motion included Christian Philosopher Professor Richard Swinburne from the University of Oxford – described by one of the opposition speakers as 'the top man in his field', The Right Reverend Brian Smith – Anglican Bishop of Edinburgh. I was invited as they wanted the leader of a 'Bible believing church'. They came to the right place.

The opposition were hardly less well known, Dr. Stephen Law, whose book, The Philosophy Files was described as, "brilliantly original introduction to philosophy for teenagers. Stephen Law manages to make the subject both meaningful and accessible." Along with Stuart Sim – another published author and Thomas Bull – a student from the University and finalist in the world public speaking championships.

To be asked to speak on such a subject suggests that someone, somewhere, has heard that Seventh-day Adventists know something about Jesus.

To read a full transcript of my presentation click here. To read the full news story click here.

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Amazing Grace -- Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Video Reflection available and Souvenir Issue of the Messenger

Our Church, along with many millions of people world-wide, rejoices in proclaiming and working for freedom. As we look back 200 years at the Act of Parliament that abolished the iniquitous transatlantic slave trade between England, West Africa and the Americas we sorrow with those who suffered in this way, but rejoice with those brave Christian men and women who fought against the odds to "liberate the captives". more...

I am a product of slavery. Many members of our church here in the United Kingdom are products of slavery. This makes the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade a very special event for all Seventh-day Adventists and makes the hymn, "Amazing Grace" to be of particular meaning. I applaud the work of men like Clarkson, Wilberforce, Equiano and Newton. What was common to them all was that they were Christians and without the efforts of these men perhaps I would not be here today.

Amazing Grace is one of my favourite hymns. The concept is great! It encapsulates the fact that Jesus came into the world to abolish another kind of slavery – the slavery of sin. It tells a story we all need to hear.

Click to view a 3 1/2 minute video reflection on "Amazing Grace and the Abolition of the Slave Trade".

Right Click and "Save Target As" to download the 3 1/2 minute video reflection on "Amazing Grace and the Abolition of the Slave Trade" -- Low Quality. (7.9mb)

Right Click and "Save Target As" to download the 3 1/2 minute video reflection on "Amazing Grace and the Abolition of the Slave Trade" -- High Quality. Ideal for video projection in church. (18.5mb)

A special Souvenir Issue of the Messenger, commemorating the Bicentenary 1807 - 2007 of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act is available from download from this website. Click here.

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Hot Button Issues

I was elected to serve as President of the British Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in July 2006. Since then I have given a lot of thought and prayer to the major "Hot Button" issues that we should be focusing on as a church over the next five years. If you would like to explore them with me I would invite you to click here.