17 July 2018 | Prestatyn, Wales [Sam Davies]
Operating for just six years, the South England Conference Go School of Evangelism has just graduated it’s 1,000th student. During a Sabbath afternoon ceremony at their Annual Camp meeting, Trans-European Division President, Pastor Raafat Kamal charged students to trust in God as they go out to make disciples for Christ.
During the 23 June ceremony, 171 students received certificates of completion. With his focus on mission, Pastor Kamal, commended the South England Conference for the initiative and acknowledged the leadership of Pastor Kirk Thomas, BUC Personal Ministries director, Pastor Michael Mbui, SEC Personal Ministries director, and the variety of teachers who provided effective missionary training.
Speaking to the graduates, Kamal reminded them not to lose sight of the main reason for being Seventh-day Adventists. “Our main purpose,” he said, “is to call all people to become disciples of Jesus Christ. To proclaim the everlasting Gospel embraced by the three angels’ messages and to prepare them for Christ’s soon return.”
He emphasised three main points in his charge to the graduates:
“Keep asking why you are here. What is the purpose that God has inspired and put on your heart and mind? Believe it, memorise it, embrace it, be passionate about it, write it, speak it, shout it, live it and be intentional in God’s word. Because if you do not, you will gradually lose sight of it.” He added, “we exist to make God known and to glorify Him. Our real purpose, will come as we look to Jesus Christ.”
Kamal then noted that we are called to make disciples for Jesus Christ. “God’s response to the fall in Genesis chapter three was a response to mission,” he stated, “To seek, to go, to save, to heal, to give a second chance. God’s response to the fall exemplifies what his purpose and message for us is all about. He wants to seek and find. Through our calling and ministry, he wants us to bring with us as many as possible from our families, our neighbours, friends and colleagues.”
His third point was that we need a positive attitude toward life’s circumstances. The intrinsic values a person has cannot be taken from him,” he noted. “One’s God-given values are far more important than the external circumstances.” Kamal emphasised that despite the hardship, pain and suffering that graduates might endure while serving God, their God-given values, resulting in the fruit of the Spirit: love, peace, joy, patience; are far more important than their external circumstances. Whatever those circumstances may be, Kamal admonished the graduates to choose to have the right Christ-like attitude. He ended by saying service and success will depend on one question and that is, “Do you trust God?”
This was the largest graduation so far for the School of Evangelism with the total estimated to rise to 200 by later this year. The programme started with six cohorts and has grown to training members in twenty areas of mission and leadership. This includes subjects such as Community Evangelism, Forgive To Live, Stress Therapy, British Sign Language and Muslim Relations.
Pastor Michael Mbui, said the training centres have now spread to five regions across the Conference. He added that the vision of the Personal Ministries Department is to engage every church to be disciple makers through training.
Husband and wife, Warren and Nichola, who joined the course about a year ago, said they now feel inspired to study for full time ministry at Newbold College since attending the School of Evangelism. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Sajitha Forde-Ralph, associate editor
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