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<\/a>Dr Richard Elofer, director of the General Conference Jewish Friendship Centre, spoke on \u2018Reaching the Jews Among Other Unreached\u2019, stating: \u201cthe work to \u2018reach the Jews with the Spirit of Jesus\u2019 is a \u2018crucial mission for the Seventh-day Adventist Church\u2026 a conviction we must all have\u2019 because \u2018God would like to see the Jewish people come back to Him.\u201d A time is coming\u2026 there will be as many converted in a day as there were on the day of Pentecost.” Review and Herald, 19 June 1905. Dr Elofer’s advice was to identify Jewish and other groups of people and pray for communities, walking and driving, for hearts to be prepared and for God to provide a way to reach people adding, \u201cGod will open your eyes to the harvest and then you will be surprised.\u201d<\/p>\nIn a sermon entitled \u2018Where are We Going?\u2019 Pastor Roger Hernandez, Ministerial and Evangelism director for the Southern Union, shared points on interacting with the community and building and maintaining a healthy church culture. For example, he said, \u201cpreach our struggles as people are not looking for a \u2018wow\u2019, they are looking for the \u2018how\u2019.\u201d To counter the way in which the vast majority of unchurched individuals have no believing friends, he encouraged members to \u2018walk alongside\u2019 people and be trustworthy so they can turn to you. \u201cBe upfront \u2212 we have a beautiful message\u201d he urged, although \u201cGod has called us to be different, He has not called us to be weird.\u201d <\/p>\n
The model was developed by Pastor Jim Howard, General Conference Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department associate director, who highlighted 5 foundational ministries for every local church:<\/p>\n Pastor Howard explained that the agricultural model was taught by Jesus and that churches may assess if they provide a full range of outreach activities by whether they cover all of these areas.<\/p>\n TED Executive Secretary Audrey Andersson started the Sabbath day with a reflective devotion entitled, \u2018Seeking the Lost\u2019. The \u2018blind panic\u2019 of the woman in the story of \u2018The Lost Coin\u2019 was connected to the issue of church retention and how 16% of baptised members leave. Andersson asked \u2018How much passion\u2019 or \u2018panic\u2019 do we feel for the 1 out of every 6 who leave the Church? <\/p>\n Pastor Howard spoke next on the Church’s \u2019One Mission\u2019. He described the seamlessness of in-reach and outreach reflected in the GROW discipleship model, helping churches to thrive effectively. Quoting from Matthew 28, he stated that \u201cGod has called everybody to witnessing.\u201d He further explained that \u201cSome call it a spiritual gift, and this has crippled the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The great body of lay people are sleeping giants, not aware of the incredible calling God has given them.\u201d<\/p>\n Pastor Neville Neveling, General Conference Global Evangelism trainer, got participants enrolling as \u2018cell phone evangelists\u2019. He explained how this innovative programme, AWR360, organises and sources materials such as audio sermons and studies which are then forwarded to friends of cell evangelists through an automated system. This service is growing, and new languages are being added to this service regularly.<\/p>\n During the training on \u2018Growing a Church of Disciple-Makers\u2019, Dr Michael Mbui, South England Conference Sabbath School and Personal Ministries director, emphasised, “We are called to be the disciples of Christ and having spent time with Him, we are called to make others the disciples of Christ. A disciple is a learner (Matthew 11:28); a lover (John 14:15<\/a>); a follower (Matt 4:19<\/a>) and a witness (Acts 1:8<\/a>). A disciple of Christ is a person who lives the life of Christ and reflects that life. Let people have an encounter with the Word because it has the potential to change lives.”<\/p>\n TED Personal Ministries and Sabbath School Director Dr Patrick Johnson addressed the challenge of people losing confidence in the Seventh-day Adventist message, encouraging his class to share it within the context of the grand narrative of \u2018the Great Controversy\u2019: the world’s key problem and also the coming resolution.<\/p>\n At the \u2018WOW Club\u2019, led by Yvonne Cummins and Maria and Earl Samuel, children also explored \u2018Going bigger with God\u2019, covered through a newly written play and other creative means. Jaden, 11, said, \u201cI have learned new songs and it was actually fun, with lots of fun activities.\u201d<\/p>\n The closing sermon by Dr James Yansen was entitled ‘When God is enthroned’, in which he shared how the more we connect with God, the more He transforms our minds. He shared the story about Satanists in attendance at a local church service when their 5-year-old responded to an altar call and prayed in front of the congregation. The parents came to the altar, touched because they had not taught their son to pray.<\/p>\n As a couple of participants from Telford church summed it up, it was a good, spiritually lifting and motivating with God saying, \u201cGo!\u201d<\/p>\n To find out more about resources or if you would like to get involved in any of these ministries, please contact Kerrine Guthrie<\/a> or Dr Kirk Thomas<\/a> from the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries<\/a> Departments of the British Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.<\/a>Dr Thomas presented every delegate with the gift of a vibrant bag filled with resources, featuring a \u2018Sabbath School Alive!\u2019 logo, symbolising the aspects of Bible Study and Prayer, Fellowship and Mission as he appealed for equally vibrant local church Sabbath Schools. Printed on the reverse side was a \u2018GROW\u2019 logo representing the disciple-making process, encouraging everyone to \u2018Grow Your Church\u2019. These and other resources to support these efforts are available on the General Conference’s \u2018Grow Your Church\u2019 website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Pastor Simon Martin, TED Discipleship coach, shared during his workshop how to build a disciple-making culture in our churches through dynamic small groups. Based on Matthew 10:8, he shared the approach of finding a \u2018person of peace\u2019 in a local area, and becoming a blessing to that home, healing and introducing them to the Kingdom of God.<\/p>\n<\/a>The programme was infused with prayer and praise as the summit paused on several occasions throughout the day to address prayer points related to in-reach and outreach. These included the people who have left the Church; the UK’s majority population; ethnic minorities and the Church’s young people. In fact, prayer had begun before attendees arrived and continued throughout the summit with a specially dedicated prayer room.<\/p>\n
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The original article first appeared on adventist.uk\/news<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
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