{"id":14754,"date":"2023-05-25T08:29:41","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T08:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=14754"},"modified":"2023-05-25T16:50:58","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T16:50:58","slug":"inspiredtoserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/inspiredtoserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspired to Serve"},"content":{"rendered":"

25 May 2023 | London, UK [Max McKenzie-Cook with\u00a0tedNEWS<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Saturday 20 May was truly a remarkable day, thanks to all who attended Community Services Reloaded<\/em> in Balham, South London.<\/em> The event, organised by Hewitt Grant, Adventist Community Services president for the London region, brought together a diverse group of individuals united by a common passion: serving the community and sharing hope.<\/p>\n

The main purpose of the event was combining efforts and outlining strategies for serving the community in a more efficient an integrated way. \u201cCreating a comprehensive disaster relief plan, fostering stronger connections with other entities, exhibiting greater sensitivity to the community’s needs, establishing a task force for a residential care home, and developing a directory of services within the local area,\u201d were some of the priorities highlighted for the next two years, said pastor Max McKenzie-Cook, Community Ministries director for the South England Conference (SEC). \u201cThe event shed light on the importance of moving beyond the confines of the church walls and extending a helping hand to those in need,\u201d McKenzie-Cook remarked.<\/p>\n

During a heart-warming segment of the programme, long-serving community leaders were recognised.\u00a0Syvlia Bernard,\u00a0Mitsy Wallfall,\u00a0Norma McKenzie,\u00a0Elizabeth Kavanagh,\u00a0Elizabeth Simpson,\u00a0Dorcel Saul and\u00a0Victor Morrison\u00a0were honoured with plaques, symbolising that the ambitious plans for the future are built upon the solid foundation they and others have laid. \u201cTheir commitment and dedication inspire the current generation to push further and dream bigger,\u201d said McKenzie-Cook.<\/p>\n

\"(Left<\/a>
(Left to right) Donnette Brown, Joyan Johnson, Barbara McLaughlin, Karline Jones and Hewitt Grant. (Front) Dorcel Saul, being recognised for her service to the community.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The combined Area 6B Youth Choir<\/em> delivered a stunning performance, with uplifting songs including, “Beautiful Feet,” “Called to Be,” and “Bless Somebody Else.” The carefully chosen repertoire resonated with the audience, motivating them to engage in acts of service to ensure a brighter future for their communities.<\/p>\n

\"Area<\/a>
The Area 6B Youth Choir inspired the audience with an uplifting repertoire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pastor Vili Costescu delivered an empowering message challenging attendees to \u201cbecome agents of change in their communities,\u201d and not simply church consumers. Building upon Costescu\u2019s message, pastor Wentworth Sewell reminded the audience of Christ’s method, urging them to \u201cemulate His example, by showing genuine care and compassion, which leads to impactful transformations in the lives of those they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA brilliant idea emerged during the event: tapping into employers’ volunteering policies,\u201d shared McKenzie-Cook. Attendees were encouraged to request time off work to volunteer in their local ministry. \u201cThe conference created a template letter that individuals could present to their employers, explaining their desire to contribute to their community. By leveraging these policies, church members can actively engage in service without additional strain on their schedules,\u201d McKenzie-Cook remarked.<\/p>\n

The importance of teamwork and unity was clearly emphasised during the programme. Attendees were inspired to support initiatives in their local communities (even if they attended church elsewhere), to foster community and solidarity. The event’s impact was evident as more than thirty individuals expressed their desire to get involved and make a difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cA newfound momentum has enveloped this community, propelling members to request time off from their employers, innovative pioneer ministries, and embody the compassionate spirit of Jesus,\u201d McKenzie-Cook concluded.<\/p>\n

\n

[Photos: Chadlee Brown]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

London Community Services recognises those who have served, and commits to a renewed vision<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":14757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1577,1588],"tags":[1424,489,145,1454,287,393],"class_list":["post-14754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-organisational-updates","category-united-kingdom-ireland","tag-choir","tag-community","tag-hope","tag-london","tag-news","tag-service"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14754"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14847,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14754\/revisions\/14847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}