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Grace

By Jeanell McFarlane on December 15, 2011 in

Grace.
     Of all the definitions in the dictionary, the one of significance to us is mercy.
     Brooklyn Temple was lifted up by the ministry of Associate Pastor Roy Bartley of the Bronx, Mount of Blessings SDA Church, on Tuesday night, December, 13, as he beautifully illustrated the concept of grace and mercy, through David’s eyes in Psalm 121, and interwoven with Pastor Bartley’s own life experiences.
     Valuable insights and lessons were learned and relearned through the presentation of relying on God’s provision for help and strength and reassurance, and that if we only look up, God meets our faith to take us through our trials, lift us up to higher plains and in our victory draw all men unto him. Trusting in the Lord to wait upon him puts aside self and demonstrates the surety that God can keep and preserve us.
     The young people who attended and participated in the service were listening. On interviewing them, they shared their thoughts on what they heard. Alicia Thomas said that “it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor – you should still have God in your life.” Her sister, Patricia also shared her thoughts, alluding to the pastor’s mention that people come to church, but don’t have church in them, some deciding on whether to stay for the service depending on who is preaching – “people do wrong things, they just come to see people, but, they should come to hear God’s word.” The Paul family’s three siblings also commented on the meeting. Russell said, “It was good, God preserves everything.” Tyler said, “It was good.” He especially liked the prayer for the sick and shut-in. And even 7-year old Abby had her say; she said “the whole thing is the way it should be.”
God’s grace and mercy, when we avail ourselves of God’s providence; they operate just the way they should.
     Avail yourselves of God’s grace and mercy for you. Join us on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and on Sabbath morning at 11:00 a.m. for more during this Week of Revival.

Jeanell A. McFarlane

Brooklyn Temple

Public Relations

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Gospel Socialization

By Jeanell McFarlane on March 23, 2011 in

Spreading the gospel is still the church’s main focus in the 21st century.

The Communications Department of Northeastern Conference, conducted a workshop at the Hanson Place church on March 5. Members of the Brooklyn Temple Communications Department attended both morning and afternoon sessions.
The afternoon session included the topics of Social Media and Public Access TV. The presentation on Public Access TV, was of particular interest to Associate Director Rodney Walker who stated that he would “definitely look into it.”  The Social Media presentation left a convincing impression on Public Relations Director, Jeanell McFarlane. It was clear that the positive impact that one posting can have on millions, outweighs the negative connotations of using social media as an avenue to spread the gospel. The workshop’s impression on Associate Director Omar Bourne was summed up in these words, “The workshop at Hanson Place was an educational experience. I felt like the seminar provided me with information that I can use to develop my skills and talents to help my church and community.”

Community, the gospel, evangelism – the workshop succeeded in updating the church in ways to “Go and teach…”providing information and tools that the church can incorporate to help meet the social need of the gospel.

Jeanell McFarlane
Brooklyn Temple
Public Relations

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Record Earthquake Strikes Japan: ADRA Responds

By Rodney Walker on March 13, 2011 in ,

Note: This was originally reported Friday, March 11, 2011
Author: Julio C. Muñoz, ADRA

SILVER SPRING, Md. – A powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake shook the island nation of Japan damaging infrastructure and triggering a massive tsunami that swept through Japan’s north-eastern coast, killing hundreds of people according to initial media reports. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is responding, coordinating efforts and assessing the needs in the worst hit areas in the northern region of Japan.

ADRA has committed an initial response of $25,000 and has sent an assessment team toward the affected area to evaluate and prepare a broader response. ADRA Japan is providing food and shelter for train passengers that are stranded in Tokyo. This is taking place at the Central Tokyo Seventh-day Adventist Church.

At present, 88 people have been confirmed dead and at least 349 people are reported missing. Local police are reporting that an additional 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai with the casualty toll expected to climb. Initial reports indicate extensive damage to infrastructure, including at least three nuclear reactors.

The record quake, the seventh largest in history and the most powerful to hit Japan in at least 100 years, created a 23-foot (7 meter) tsunami that washed away boats, cars, homes, while starting several large fires burned out of control. In the hours following the earthquake more than 50 aftershocks have been recorded, many of them over magnitude 6.0.

ADRA is currently monitoring and evaluating the situation. Updates will be released as response efforts expand.

To send your contribution to ADRA’s Emergency Response Fund, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online at www.adra.org.

If you are in Canada, you can send your contribution to ADRA Canada’s “Japan quake/Pacific tsunami” fund or to the Emergency Response Fund, please contact ADRA Canada at 1.888-274-2372 or give online.

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Dr. Jeff Gardere Interviewed for Sabbath School Program

By Omar Bourne on February 9, 2011 in

This quarter, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Adult Bible Study Guide focuses on The Bible and Human Emotions. This week’s Human Emotion is good, positive thinking. Omar Bourne, an Associate Communications Director  and Associate Sabbath School Superintendent of the Brooklyn Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church, sat down with the man known as America’s psychologist, Dr. Jeff Gardere, who explained how positive thinking could impact on our physical, mental, and spiritual well-beings.

This video was presented during Sabbath School on February 5, 2011.

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Adventist Resources Increasingly on Smartphone Technology

By Rodney Walker on January 31, 2011 in

White Estate, Sabbath School release new apps, upgrades; felts to go digital

7 Jan 2011,  Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Ansel Oliver/ANN

Two organizations at the Seventh-day Adventist Church headquarters are putting more of their resources on smartphone technology.

Darryl Thompson, assistant director of the Ellen G. White Estate, says the Estate's newly upgraded iOS application makes White's complete published writings available to iPhone/iPad users. An Android version is in development. (photo: Ansel Oliver)

Both the Sabbath School/Personal Ministries department and the estate of church co-founder Ellen G. White have recently released upgrades to their apps. The newly upgraded app from The White Estate now makes available all of White’s published writings. The Sabbath School department puts in an app all its study guides, from Beginner through the Adult Bible Study Guide.

Both apps are free; the iPhone/iPad versions are available in Apple, Inc.’s online iTunes store.

The Sabbath School app is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android platforms in English, French and Spanish, said Falvo Fowler, the department’s editor and executive producer. The app also features media produced by the department, including Sabbath School University videos, Daily Collegiate Quarterly readings, multi-language podcasts and Kindergarten lesson animations. Cool Tools, a resource for Sabbath School and small group leaders, is built into the app.

The department also posts its Kindergarten animations on YouTube and Vimeo, Fowler said. The YouTube channel now includes closed captioning in both English and Mandarin. Resources in more languages are in development.

In addition, an iPad app set for release next month for the GraceLink study series will feature a digital felt board, Fowler said. Parents, teachers and kids will be able to tell stories by manipulating and moving characters and backgrounds specific to that week’s story.

Fowler said apps can also connect to a projector or monitor for presenting to audiences.

The new app from the White Estate includes all 412 books written by White or later compiled from her writings, said Darryl Thompson, assistant director of the Ellen G. White Estate. The app also features search ability of the entire White library, a King James Version of the Bible and Webster’s contemporary 1828 dictionary. It also allows users to create notes to share via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. Additionally, every Bible verse reference is hyperlinked.

The Estate has also released EGW Lite, with content based on 10 of White’s most popular books, Thompson said. The lite app was created for users with limited storage devices or 3G coverage.

The White Estate is developing an Android version for release later this year, Thompson said.

For more information on the White Estate app, visit whiteestate.org.

For more information on the Sabbath School app, click here.

UPDATE:

The latest, released on January 11, is called InPrayer, and is the product of the church’s Revival and Reformation Committee.

According to that group’s website, “InPrayer is a mobile application developed by the Adventist church, which is designed to facilitate a global prayer chain that prays for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This prayer movement, called 777, is designed to encourage Seventh-day Adventists to pray 7 days a week at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. It is part of a larger initiative to encourage Revival and Reformation within the Seventh-day Adventist church.”

There are several modules available to InPrayer users: a configurable daily reminder to pray at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.; a map view that shows you where every other member interacting with the app is located; a daily devotional focused on the Holy Spirit; global prayer requests; a local prayer request module allowing you track your own personal requests; Facebook integration that pushes a configurable status to your Facebook account and Twitter integration that pushes a configurable tweet to your Twitter account.

Versions of the InPrayer app are available, free of charge, for both the Apple iPhone and Google Android platforms.

–additional reporting by Mark A. Kellner

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Northeastern Conference to Host Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program

By Rodney Walker on January 28, 2011 in

The North American Division Adventist Community Services has announced a nonprofit leadership certification program (NLCP) hosted at the Northeastern Conference headquarters. The program involves a basic curriculum May 15-19, 2011 and an advanced curriculum October 2-6, 2011. NLCP is designed to prepare pastors and lay-leaders for general management and social evangelism.

Thirteen presenters are scheduled to teach attendees including Sung Kwon, the executive director for North American Division Community Services. Although NLCP is sponsored by Adventist Community Services the material is for all pastors and lay-leaders. Participants may be able to obtain three graduate credits from Washington Adventist University.

Program participants will learn leadership and how to motivate and lead a their teams more effectively, to understand the various approaches to marketing and positioning for competitive advantage, and to identify and exploit to create values and understand ethics, principles, and issues in nonprofit leadership.

Participants will also be taught Social Evangelism which includes theological concepts of social justice and public policy, community needs assessment and program development, cross-cultural ministry and management, and to understand the urban ministry.

The last objective is to have participants learn risk management challenges and legal issues, introductory grant writing and fundraising strategies, the fundamentals terminologies and methodologies of managerial accounting, human resource development and volunteer engagement, and performance measurement for effective management.

The basic curriculum includes Theological Concepts of Social Justice, Social Action from Relief to Public Policy, Community Needs Assessment & Program Development, Ministering and Managing Cross-Culturally. Additionally it includes Marketing Fundamentals for NonProfits, Board Development: A Guide to High Impact Governance, Resource Development: Fundraising Strategies in Nonprofits, Human Resource Development, and Volunteer Engagement.

The advanced curriculum includes Urban Ministry: Understanding the City, Build Teams that Lead, Innovate & Succeed, Risk Management Challenges for Nonprofits, Nonprofit Legal Issues and Conflict Resolution, and Nonprofit Account and Budgeting. It also includes Introduction to Grant Proposal Writing, Ethics, Principles and Issues in Nonprofit Leadership, Strategic Planning in the Nonprofits, Communication Media Management, and Environment of the Nonprofit Sector.

Both the basic and advanced curriculums run from 2:30 – 9:00 pm on Sunday, and 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – Thursday. Registration fee for the basic curriculum if paid by April 28, 2011 is $150 per person. Onsite registration is $250 per person. Registration fee for the advanced curriculum is $150 per person if paid by September 22, 2011. Onsite registration is $250.

To register visit www.plusline.org or call 1-800-732-7587. Participants must make their own travel and lodging arrangements. For additional details visit www.communityservices.org.

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Neal C. Wilson, former Adventist Church president, dies at 90

By Rodney Walker on December 15, 2010 in ,

Father of current church president led denomination from 1978-1990

14 Dec 2010, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
ANN staff

Neal C. Wilson served as president of the Adventist Church, overseeing the creation of the church's Fundamental Beliefs, as well as the relocation of its world headquarters. He also helped to further mission in the former Soviet Union by obtaining permission to establish a seminary near Moscow two years before the fall of communism in 1989.

Neal C. Wilson, who served as president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from 1978 to 1990 and the father of the denomination’s current president, died today at a care facility in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. He was 90.

As president, Wilson furthered the church’s mission in the former Soviet Union two years before the fall of communism there, helping obtain permission to establish an Adventist seminary and administrative headquarters near Moscow in 1987. He also oversaw the 1980 adoption of the church’s Fundamental Beliefs, the creation of Adventist World Radio, and oversaw the relocation of the denomination’s world headquarters from Takoma Park, Maryland to its current location in Silver Spring.

During his tenure, Wilson visited 170 countries where the church operated institutions of healthcare, education, evangelism and publishing. He was known to remember thousands of people, even after brief meetings.

“I regard him as one of the outstanding leaders in the history of this church,” said Bill Johnsson, former editor of the Adventist Review. “I asked him once how he remembered people’s names so well and he said he just made a point of it.”

After retirement in 1990, Wilson pastored churches in California and served as an adviser to the denomination’s Euro-Asia Division. The U.S. Department of State would periodically call him regarding situations in the Middle East based on his understanding of the region from a 15-year post in Egypt, Johnsson said.

“He could have been a statesman or a diplomat but he chose to give his talents to the church and we were all blessed by that,” Johnsson said.

Neal Clayton Wilson was born in Lodi, California in 1920, the son of a missionary and church administrator. Wilson attended schools in Zambia, Malawi, South Africa and India before earning a bachelor’s degree from the church-owned Pacific Union College in Angwin, California in 1942. In 1944, he earned a degree from the Adventist Theological Seminary, then located in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Wilson served the church in Egypt from 1944 to 1958, first as a pastor and evangelist and later as the regional administrative president. He then worked as an administrator in California and Maryland before his appointment as president of the church’s North American Division in 1966. He served in the post until his appointment as president of the denomination.

Wilson’s son, Ted N.C. Wilson, was elected president of the Adventist world church in June.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Adventist Heritage Ministry, Adventist World Radio or Christian Record Services for the Blind.

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Indonesia: ADRA Assists Displaced Families After Volcano Eruption

By Rodney Walker on November 16, 2010 in ,

Source: ADRA International

Friday, October 29, 2010

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The October 26 eruption of Mount Merapi in central Java prompted the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to deliver assistance to one of the areas closest to the site of the disaster, emergency officials in Indonesia report.

ADRA’s emergency response is being centered on the village of Glagah Harjo, in the sub-district of Cangkringan, Special Region of Yogyakarta, located 5.6 miles (9 km) south of Mount Merapi. According to an ADRA Indonesia rapid assessment team, 490 displaced families from four smaller villages are currently in Glagah Harjo.

“Families are concentrated in temporary shelters,” said Hector Carpintero, country director for ADRA Indonesia. “During the day, the men go to see their farms, if government allows, and during the night they come back to safety.”

Following coordination with local government officials and displaced families, ADRA is delivering basic essential hygiene kits, each containing body soap, shampoo, tooth brushes and toothpaste, sanitary pads, towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, and a bucket. The distribution, scheduled for Friday, October 29, is being conducted with the support of local volunteers.

Mount Merapi’s latest eruption occurred last Tuesday before dusk, killing 28 people and injuring an estimated 90 others, the Indonesian Health Ministry said in a statement on October 27. More than 22,000 villagers are reported to be staying in 10 government-run shelters in three separate districts.

“Our efforts focus on evacuating victims, providing health services and preparing shelters for the displaced,” the Health Ministry said.

To send your contribution to ADRA’s Emergency Response Fund, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online at www.adra.org.

ADRA is a global non-governmental organization providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

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Haiti: ADRA Intensifies Cholera Prevention Efforts Following Outbreak

By Rodney Walker on November 15, 2010 in ,

Source: ADRA International

Friday, October 29, 2010

SILVER SPRING, Md. – In the wake of a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed more than 300 people and sickened thousands, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is ramping up efforts to prevent the spread of the disease to vulnerable populations in Port-au-Prince.

“The cholera outbreak in Haiti is the worst case scenario,” said Fritz Bissereth, country director for ADRA Haiti. “We could not be unconcerned about these particularly difficult moments in the life of the country.”

As a result, ADRA is focusing cholera awareness efforts in various camps in Carrefour, a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince where thousands of displaced persons have been living in makeshift shelters since the deadly January 12 earthquake. Using live drama presentations, pamphlets and posters in the local Creole language, ADRA staff and volunteers have instructed residents on the dangers of cholera and prevention practices. In addition, hand sanitizers and a total of 2,880 water purification tabs have been distributed to camp residents. Each tab can disinfect 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of water.

In recent days, ADRA also solicited the support of Haiti’s National Direction for Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) to test the water being provided to displaced persons. Testing confirmed the good quality of the water and its distribution remains unaffected.

In the displaced persons camp located on the campus of the Haiti Adventist University, ADRA has conducted cholera training for the camp management team and continues the distribution of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) in the camp’s three remaining inhabited zones where some 500 families live.

In an effort to reduce the effects of the outbreak in hard-hit Artibonite Department located north of the Haitian capital, ADRA and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Haiti are sending 10 Trekker mobile water purification units to help ease the demand for clean water in the area. Each mobile unit, which is powered by a motorcycle, can purify 63 gallons (240 liters) of water per hour. Plans are underway to distribute 30,000 water purification tablets and information flyers in four targeted zones in Artibonite, including the communities of St. Marc, Grande Saline, Marchand, and Verette.

Key to ADRA’s cholera prevention message is the focus on basic sanitation, including boiling water, using soap, consistent hand washing before meals and following toilet use, keeping foods clean, and avoiding the consumption of fish. ADRA is implementing these preventive actions using guidelines set by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Ministry of Health in Haiti reported 4,722 cholera cases, including 303 deaths. Haitian officials say that the majority of cases have appeared in the departments of Artibonite, Central, Nord-East, and Nord. There is concern that the disease could also spread to the densely populated Port-au-Prince area where thousands of people are living in squalid camps with little access to clean water and food.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cholera can kill within hours if left untreated. Up to 80 percent of cases can be successfully treated, however, with oral rehydration salts, WHO reports.

ADRA is a global non-governmental organization providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

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Adventist Church To Mark 150th Anniversary of Its Name

By Rodney Walker on September 30, 2010 in

Source: Adventist News Network

As the Seventh-day Adventist Church prepares to mark 150 years of the denomination’s name on October 1, leaders are urging members to reflect both on the name’s significance and the impact they’ve made in their local community.

When church pioneers met in 1860 to name their movement, David Hewitt introduced the name “Seventh-day Adventist,” which became the name of the publishing work, and ultimately the church itself.

[photo courtesy White Estate]

It was in 1860 that pioneers meeting in Battle Creek, Michigan chose the name for a movement that had about 2,500 adherents in Northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Today, that movement has more than 16 million adult baptized members and operates the largest Protestant network of schools and hospitals worldwide.

Regarding the name selection, Adventist Church co-founder Ellen White later wrote, “The name Seventh-day Adventist carries the true features of our faith in front, and will convict the inquiring mind.”

“Seventh-day” refers to the denomination’s day of worship, taken from the Fourth Commandment in the book of Exodus. “Adventist” refers to the Second Advent of Jesus, or the Second Coming.

“I think the name has been used through the years in a very positive way because its members have decided to make a difference here and now in anticipation of the Second Coming,” said Jim Nix, board chair of Adventist Heritage Ministry, a church corporation that preserves denominational historical sites.

Nix, who is organizing the anniversary commemoration, said he hopes members will spend time on Sabbath, October 2 reflecting what it means to continue the legacy of the name leaders took in 1860. Additionally, he is urging members to consider what difference the name is making in their community.

“I’m afraid that if some Adventist churches closed, nobody would notice,” Nix said. “Some people may not like that conclusion, but if that’s the case maybe they can think about what they can do to make a real difference in their local area.”

Though the name came to describe the church, it was originally chosen for the early movement’s publishing work. In 1860, leaders called a general meeting, which brought together 25 ministers, with church co-founder James White urging the formation of an organization that could legally own a publishing house. Without a legal name, however, it could accomplish little.

Many favored “Church of God,” including White, but some soon found the name presumptuous. Besides, other movements were already employing the name.

David Hewitt, a Battle Creek resident, then introduced and formally proposed the name “Seventh-day Adventist,” which would come to brand not only the publishing work, but the movement itself.

Nix says he is proud to belong to the 150-year-old movement. “You go to a family reunion and you’re all Jones or a Smith and you feel a sense of pride. We’re all Seventh-day Adventists, and that’s my spiritual family name,” he said.

“This church has done some great things over the past 150 years. Let’s use this anniversary to think about how we can do more,” Nix said.

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