My Earth Day at Laurel Lake Camp

November 23, 2009

“Earth Day” for me took place on November 22, 2009. I was out at Laurel Lake Camp and Retreat center conducting a Spiritual Retreat for the PA Conference Educators. We practiced focused Bible study, prayer, journaling and a discipline of silence for 14 hours each day, in order to come apart from the press of the world, and listen for the leading of God through prayer and meditation. (See chapter 38 in Desire of Ages, “Come Rest Awhile”)
During the morning while observing silence, I would walk 2-4 miles. Sunday morning I decided as I walked the road along LLC, that I would take 2 large garbage bags and pick up the trash along the side of the road on LLC’s property.



While doing that, I came to an amazing discovery! Alcohol drinkers have to be the worst litter bugs of all! Through a scientific process, I found there to be more discards from alcohol drinkers than any other type of trash. That was rated by quantity, volume and weight. Even when you factor in the junk tire I found, the beer bottles, cans and six pack carriers took up more space and weight in my bags that all other trash combined.
While helping to clean up the roadside for LLC, I wondered why there are more beer garbage items than even plastic soda bottles.
What if just some of the energy dedicated to greenhouse gasses and global warming also included factoring in the amount of energy and waste that goes into making glass beer bottles and aluminum beer cans that are then thrown out alongside of the highways and polluter our ecology?
It also made me think that as Seventh-day Adventists, we could be among those who are committed to responsible garbage management and reasonable environment issues. As children of God, as wise stewards of God’s world, as those who recognized that “The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof…” we could be intentional about caring for God’s world and using the best wise management of its resources.
One day soon, Jesus will come and take us from this sin-filled world. The fact that we are soon to leave this world, does not mean we can leave off wise and proper environmental actions, just because we are about to leave the world. This world is a training ground for living throughout eternity with the Lord. And in a world re-created by the Savior, we want to bring habits of care and trust. Can God trust us to properly appreciate the beauty and inter-connectedness of His creation, His natural world? Will we treat the earth made new any better than we are currently treating the handiwork of God here in this world?
It was great to pick up LLC’s roadways and “spruce up” our camp.
What will I do at home? What might you do in God’s home that He has entrusted us with?

PA Educator's Spiritual Retreat

PRESIDENT’S BLOG
November 22, 2009

This weekend I spent with a group of our PA Conference Educators at Laurel Lake Camp and Retreat center conducting a Spiritual Retreat. What a great group of people! We are privileged to have them caring for our young people’s Christian Education.

We practiced focused Bible study, prayer, journaling and a discipline of silence for 14 hours each day, in order to come apart from the press of the world, and listen for the leading of God through prayer and meditation. (See chapter 38 in Desire of Ages, “Come Rest Awhile”)

There is something profound about stopping all the routine activities, all the motions and actions, all the sounds and duties. Something freeing about letting go of anxieties, cares and concerns, and just being still in the presence of God. Jesus invited His disciples to do that, and He encourages us to do the same.

While at the retreat, we read the entire Chapter 38 from Desire of Ages, as a group, each person reading a paragraph out loud to the rest of the group, and then meditating and/or commenting on it.

We also focused our attention over the 3 day span on John 15:1-17, going over and over that passage, seeking new insights, or listening carefully to catch each message and meaning.

We had the delight of having Missi with us, who is a young lady from the Church Plant in Carnegie, PA She accompanied Mayda Clark, who is planting with her husband, Andres. Missi is not a Seventh-day Adventist. Her home has not included attending church more than just once in a while. Yet she has a heart for God and a desire to share what she is learning about Jesus. You might think that a teenager would find this kind of retreat boring. But she participated fully and gave some wonderful spiritual insights during our group times with the Bible.

Several teacher spouses attended, and they found the time just as enriching and fulfilling.
I myself, found the blessing of walking quietly in nature, sitting still to pray and reflect, and reading the scriptures followed by journaling the thoughts God brought to mind to be a watering of my soul.

Next year, we are planning another Spiritual Retreat. One for pastors on a Sunday-Tuesday schedule, and another for educators on a Friday-Sunday time.

NAD Meetings -- November 2009

PRESIDENT’S BLOG
November 11, 2009

Over this past week I attended the North American Division Year End meetings. They began with 2 days of meetings conducting by Adventist Risk Management. We received reports on employee health insurance and property casualty and prevention. During the employee health insurance, it looks like the NAD health insurance is moving to an employee wellness plan, much like the one pioneered by the Pennsylvania Conference.

Over the weekend we met at the General Conference Building and heard reports from the various departments of the NAD, and discussed and voted different policies. From the NAD Ministerial Department, we heard that the growth rate for the NAD is 15% growth rate for this time ending in 2009. The year of pastoral evangelism has greatly assisted that.

We also considered the cost of living issue, and voted to have no cost of living for the 2010-2011 year. This is totally appropriate, considering the tithe increase or rather decrease for most conferences, and the condition of the national economy. Also the employment and financial issues of many of our church members.

One of the thrilling stories to come from the NAD meetings involves HOPE TV. Just recently HOPE TV approached the satellite TV company, DIRECT TV with an application to be added to their TV channel offerings. DIRECT TV already had 250 non-profit agencies requesting to be added to DIRECT TV ahead of our request. The Board of DIRECT TV had Brad Thorpe, Candice Thorpe, Mark Finley and Fred Kinsey visit with them to present our proposal. While they were presenting, one of the top officials came into the meeting, sat down, listened for a while and then said, you are what we want and need on this satellite. So they approved the placement of HOPE TV on one of the largest TV Satellite companies with millions of subscribers. HOPE TV is now on Channel 368 on DIRECT TV. There is a special subscription rate for new subscribers who mention HOPE TV. Our pastors will be receiving this information in January.
I am dropping my subscription to Comcast Cable and have already had DIRECT TV installed so I can get HOPE TV at the house.

I had the opportunity to share lunch and an extended conversation with Bill Knott, editor of the Adventist Review and a long-time personal friend. I am really impressed with the changes and the quality of the Adventist Review.

Church Plant and Community Fair

President’s Blog, September 8, 2009

Over Labor Day weekend I had a variety of experiences.
Early on Friday morning, the family of Don Gulig, who has been an elder and a head elder in the Fairview Village church for a number of years, called with the news that Don had suffered a stroke and was being transported to a Philadelphia hospital Once he was situated in the Jefferson Hospital in downtown Philadelphia, I joined the family in the afternoon for an anointing service for Don. Their church was in-between pastors, so I sat with them for nearly 1 ½ hours until Don was stabilized in his ICU room, then we shared in a beautiful anointing service.

On Sabbath, I joined the Immanual Place Church Plant in Reading, to officially organize them as a Church in the Pennsylvania Conference. This is a lay-lead church plant that started with Spanish members working alongside of Amocetia Tabinar with her ministry to inner city children in the downtown Reading area. Before long there were enough Hispanic people attending, that they began a Hispanic church plant. Miriam Vargas is the lay leader for Immanuel Place. She has been a Literature Evangelist for many years and has much experience in soul-winning and sharing the Adventist Message. The members are very diligent in continuing to reach out to others in the Reading area. Jeff McAuliffe, our Pennsylvania Conference Church Planter Coordinator was also able to attend.









Sunday, Jeanne and I traveled to Philadelphia to join the Community Day organized by the Adventist Humanitarian Resource Center (AHRC), which is a ministry that is formed across the Pennsylvania and Alleghany East Conferences, and supported by several churches in the Philadelphia area that are from both Conferences. This ministry resulted from the Metro Ministry initiative sponsored by the Columbia Union.




The 2nd annual Community Day was held on the property of the Boulevard SDA Church, as it has an ideal location fronting Roosevelt Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in Philadelphia.




Darrel Stovall (at left with Vernon Bramble) is one of the prime movers behind this event and is the Chair of the AHRC.

Among the ministries featured at the Community Day were:




Lillian Torres’ booth registering Bible Study interests





Gary Davis at the Huntington Valley Christian Academy booth.




Face painting done by prospective Church members of Chestnut Hill Church





Chestnut Hill Church




Blue Mountain Academy





Fun for neighborhood kids.





A Prayer Ministry tent A Prayer Ministry tent led by Herman and Gretchen Valez.






Havertown Church ministry seminar registrations.

Bucks County Bible Study offers
Local Fire Departments
Washington Adventist University
PA Conference Adventist Book Center
Pine Forge Academy
A local Adventist Book store and health food store
Havertown Church Health Seminars
Various food booths
And a number of other ministries and community agencies.

This has been a wonderful way the different churches in Philadelphia from both Conferences have come together to connect with the community.

August 20, 2009

Gary Moran, Pathfinder Director for the Pennsylvania Conference shared with me that 15 clubs and approximately 300 Pennsylvania Pathfinders were in attendance at the “Courage to Stand” International Camporee in Oshkosh, WI.

Currently there are over 2 million SDA Pathfinders in 170 countries around the world.

Pennsylvania had a number of young people who were directly involved in this year’s camporee. In addition to the pictures of Emily Carlson who was a stage manager, and James and Jonathan Goff who were stage security, which I posted last week, there are others.

John Mall and Matt Masters were part of the music team that lead the music each evening

Will Reichert portrayed different characters in the featured presentation story of Esther most evenings, and also served as one of the guards at the entrance to the amphitheater / program arena.

Conrad Reichert, Jr. also had parts in the Esther story.

Approximately 550 Pathfinders and some adult leaders and staff were baptized on Sabbath afternoon. Another 1,000 – 1,500 indicated a desire for baptism and were referred to their home church and pastor upon their return from Oshkosh. Pennsylvania Pastors Bob Williams, Gabriel Montalvo and Preston Monterrey participated in baptizing PA campers. Pastor Conrad Reichert assisted those campers taking part in the baptism.

Some of our PA educators were also in support of clubs at Oshkosh. I saw Karen Lebo, Steve Laubach and Frank Stahl. Many of the AWHN staff were also assisting. Cheryl Goff, Karen Borton, and Sandy Ringer were there with their club.

Our PA Clubs seemed to have a wonderful time. The Gettysburg club marched in the Friday parade of clubs.

The Washington club worked on the rock and mineral honor while they were there.

On Friday afternoon, from 1 p.m. until about 11:30 p.m. I was a volunteer chaplain. Our specific duties as chaplains were to offer to pray with people, and to drive campers back to their campsite who had some type of medical condition or had been treated by the doctors or nurses at the medical building. Three of us as Conference Presidents were on call for transporting people, and were almost constantly in motion.

I would like to affirm Mark Sorensen, Homer Strong, Pam Scheib and all the members of the PA Pathfinder Executive Council who alongside of Gary Moran provide strong leadership for our Pathfinder clubs. Also each of the local club directors and staff who constantly work with the clubs each week and seek to guide and influence our young people. Some of our clubs have several young people who are from non-SDA Church families, and in this way, our clubs have a part in the mission of the Pennsylvania Conference churches.

Tuesday our Conference Executive Committee elected Ron Christman as our Conference Treasurer.

Ron and his wife Joyce, who is a RN, a hospital Chaplain and a trained bereavement chaplain both grew up in the mission field. You will find more information regarding Ron on the Conference website. Ron brings a wealth of experience and a mission attitude to his role. I believe God has answered our prayers as we have conducted a wide search for the right person to follow Mo Pelley in this vital role.

August 12, 2009

Today Jeanne, Abby and I arrived in Oshkosh, WI, for the NAD/World Pathfinder Camporee. We attended the evening program, which is featuring the story of Esther with the theme, Courage to Stand. Over 36,000 Pathfinders are in attendance, making this the largest SDA gathering in the world. At tonight’s program, opening prayer was conducted by 4 Pathfinders, one from Columbia Union Conference, one from Pau Pau New Guinea, one from the country of Columbia, and one from the North Pacific Union. At the end of the program and the spiritual message, the stage was filled with the Pathfinders who came forward for prayer, to commit their life to Christ, or to request baptism. I saw just a few friends of PA Conference, and have included their pictures below.
James and Jonathan Goff
Emily Carlson
Elder Don Schneider
Ed and Wendy Eberhart

Tomorrow I will be serving as a volunteer Chaplain on call, and I will see more of our PA Pathfinders and post a few pictures on the next blog.

June 30, 2009

This week I had the privilege of visiting with the 20 student Literature Evangelists that are earnestly working in the Philadelphia area. The Chestnut Hill Church is their base of operations. By this date, they had knocked on 15,000 doors and were on schedule to reach at least 40,000 doors by the end of the summer. As they go, they are signing people up for bible studies. Lillian Torres, our PA Conference Bible Instructor is training Chestnut Hill Church members to directly follow up with those people who sign up. Pastor Tara VinCross and her husband Caleb are working diligently with these student LE’s and the Church members.

On another note, the Chestnut Hill Church is conducting a pilot evangelism method of connecting with people of the community, using holistic approaches, involving church members in a number of significant ministries, and having an evangelistic meeting that Tara VinCross will preach. In order the coordinate this unique holistic evangelistic approach, Caleb VinCross is being provided a small stipend, with accountability factors that must be reached. The goal of this evangelistic approach, is to have a 75% increase in church attendance at the end of two years.