ISSN 0819-5633

August 11, 2007

In this issueFulton faces land challenge

AW: A healthy church

AW: With all your mind

Review: Amazing Grace

Prayer house opened on Mussau

MUSSAU, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A prayer house has been opened on the island of St Matthias in Mussau, located on the northernmost part of Papua New Guinea. The open-

ing and dedication ceremony coincided with a week of prayer organised by Ben-jamin Kola, prayer ministries coordinator of the Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM).

Joy Butler, keynote speaker and prayer ministries coordinator of the South Pacifi c Division (SPD), offi cially opened the prayer house after pioneers of the Adventist Church on Mussau helped build the facility.

“This house of prayer marks the spot

where God’s Spirit blessed the pioneers and will remind us of what God did for our forefathers,” said Pastor Ben Kotoveke, di-rector of Sabbath school and personal min-istries for the New Britain and New Ireland Mission, during the opening ceremony. “Some of our pioneers have gone but they have left a legacy of prayer life. This is a lighthouse to shine through the world and help bring people back to God.”

More than 500 church members attended the week of prayer that also celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Seventh-day Ad-ventist Church’s presence on the island.

(Continued on page 3)

A young boy was among the fi rst to pray in the new “prayer power house” on St Matthias Island, Mussau, Papua New Guinea.

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Curt DeWitt said he would never be a pastor. He declared he would defi nitely not be a missionary. And he was sure he would never work with teens.

But God had a different plan—and a sense of humour. God sent Curt on a surprising, exhilarating journey that led him to become (you guessed it!) a pastor and missionary who worked with teens.

In this hilarious account of his African adventures, Curt proves that ending up where you least expected can be more fun, exciting and satisfying than you ever imagined.

by Curt DeWitt

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August 11, 2007 3

(Continued from page 1)

The Adventist Church is the only Chris-tian denomination on Mussau. The church’s work began on April 18, 1932, when a small group of Adventist missionaries from Fiji and the Solomon Islands, led by Captain McLaren, arrived by boat.

At that time, Mussau was ridden with im-morality, disease and ignorance to such an extent that the Australian government had declared the islands off limits. As the mis-sionaries approached the island, they sang “Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.”

In the fi rst year after the early mis-sionaries arrived, some 170 people were converted. Shortly after, Pastor A S At-kins travelled to Mussau and established a Bible school, which began operations on

October 23, 1933.Now, some 75 years later, more than

2000 people from Mussau have gone as missionaries to other parts of Papua New Guinea and beyond. They have served—and continue to serve—as lead-ers, teachers, preachers, evangelists, of-fi ce workers, nurses, accountants and agriculturalists.

To mark the offi cial opening of the prayer house on Mussau, retired pastors, teachers and church workers living on St Matthias and other nearby islands were honoured during the week of prayer, one of whom was Pastor Wilson Stephen, re-tired president of PNGUM.

Some church members walked more than two hours each day or travelled by canoes to get to the meetings. During the week, Mrs

Butler and three other speakers from Aus-tralia and PNGUM conducted workshops on prayer and the praying church.

“On the fi rst evening of my visit, a woman thanked me for praying for her son, who had left the church but later re-turned,” says Mrs Butler. “It was lovely to receive this heartfelt speech and warm reception.”—Melody Tan

news

Tim Cahill with one of the Socceroo’s younger fans at the Sydney farewell for the team.

Offi cial Paper of the South Pacifi c Division Seventh-day Adventist ChurchABN 59 093 117 689www.adventist.org.au

Vol 112 No 30Cover: Joy Butler

Editor Nathan BrownAssociate editor David EdgrenEditorial assistant Adele NashEditorial assistant Jarrod StackelrothCopyeditor Talitha SimmonsEditorial secretary Kristel RaeLayout Nathan CheeSenior consulting editor Barry Oliver

www.record.net.au

Mail: Signs Publishing Company 3485 Warburton HighwayWarburton, Vic 3799, Australia

Phone: (03) 5965 6300 Fax: (03) 5966 9019Email Letters: editor@signspublishing.com.auEmail Newsfront: record@signspublishing.com.auEmail Noticeboard: editorsec@signspublishing.com.auSubscriptions: South Pacifi c Division mailed within Australia and to New Zealand, $A43.80 $NZ73.00. Other prices on application. Printed weekly.

Some of Mussau’s Adventist pioneers in front of the new “prayer power house.”

Prayer house opens on Mussau

TAILEVU, FIJI

The future of Fulton College, the Sev-enth-day Adventist Church–owned educational institution in Fiji, is un-certain after a court ruling that the

lease of its land will not be renewed.The Suva High Court ruled that the land

Fulton College occupies in Tailevu—about 50 kilometres from Suva—is built on a native reserve. Native reserve land is specifi cally set aside for the sole use of the landowners. It can only be leased to anyone outside the landowning clan if it is de-reserved.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has leased the 40-hectare (100-acre) piece of land from the Native Land Trust Board (NLTB) for Fulton College since 1940. The land was proclaimed as a native reserve and gazetted in 1983. Two years ago, when the NLTB was in the process of issuing a new lease to the church after its previous 30-year

lease had expired, the landowners took the matter to court.

According to Pastor Waisea Vuniwa, general secretary of the Trans-Pacifi c Union Mission (TPUM), the church is currently considering three options for Fulton Col-lege. “We can either renegotiate with the landowners for the lease of the land for a sum of money, relocate the college or cease operations,” says Pastor Vuniwa. “We have confi dence that God is still in control and

believe that He will continue to bless and lead us in the direction we need to take for Fulton College.”

According to Pastor Vuniwa, discussions are currently taking place to ensure Fulton College is given an adequate time period to decide its future and reorganise. It is an-ticipated that the college will be allowed to operate as usual on the current land until a decision about its future is made.

Fulton College currently offers senior high school and tertiary level studies in the-ology, church ministry, primary education, information technology, business and sec-retarial studies. About 200 students and 50 staff live on the Fulton College campus.

The main campus is built on three ridg-es. The lease of the 120-hectare (300-acre) property utilised for cropping and dairying within a kilometre of the college campus is held by a different group of landowners and is not being disputed.—Melody Tan

Fulton faces land challenge

A court ruling has placed the continued use of the Fulton College campus in doubt.

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4 August 11, 2007

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Amazing GraceREVIEW BY NATHAN BROWN

At just 21 years old in 1780, Wil-liam Wilberforce was embarking on a promising parliamentary career. His good friend, William

Pitt, was about to become Britain’s young-est-ever prime minister and Wilberforce was to be part of the new government. Then Wilberforce found God or—as he explains to his butler in Amazing Grace, the recently released retelling of Wilber-force’s story—“God found me.” He goes on to refl ect, “Do you have any idea how inconvenient that is?”

As the story unfolds, Wilberforce feels he must choose between his career and his faith. The question is put in a couple of different ways: “Are you going to do the work of God or the work of a political activist?” or “Do you intend to use your beautiful voice to praise the Lord or to change the world?”

“We humbly suggest the answer is both”—the answer comes at a dinner, or-chestrated by Pitt to encourage Wilberforce to remain in parliament, where an assorted group of antislavery activists urge upon Wilberforce the evils of the trade and the potential he has to make a difference.

The odds seem stacked against them. At the end of the 18th century, the wealth of the British Empire was built on the trans-atlantic slave trade and those opposed to Wilberforce’s reforms saw them as risk-ing the wellbeing of the nation. A quick assessment suggests Wilberforce’s was one vote against 300 in the parliament. But Wilberforce and his supporters set to work, seeking to educate parliamentarians and the public alike of the inhumanity of the slave trade and its seemingly inextricable connection to their economic system.

Amazing Grace tells the story with plenty of wigs and speeches. But, after Wilber-force’s initial questions, his character’s faith motivation is not so prominent, apart from his interactions with John Newton. Newton was a slave-ship captain who walked away from the trade when he became a Chris-tian. He is best known as the writer of the world’s most popular hymn, the “Amazing

Grace” from which the movie borrows its title, and in his later life was a minister and spiritual mentor to Wilberforce.

As befi ts his classic hymn, Newton is the voice of the gospel in this story and, in his old age as he remembers his former life, he comments to Wilberforce that he really remembers just two things: “I am a great sinner—and Christ is a great Saviour.”

With this motivation, Wilberforce and his group begin a 20-plus-year campaign. Working to build public support, they em-bark on speaking, publishing, petitioning and plotting. And each year, Wilberforce reintroduces his bill to abolish the slave trade, making slow progress with increas-ing support but continued rejection.

Theirs is a tense political climate—amid the American War of Independence, the French Revolution and then war between France and Britain—in which Wilber-force’s campaign is almost scuttled. Anyone questioning the existing order at this time is suspected of lacking patriotism, or even being a traitor to the nation. Wilberforce’s friendship with Pitt suffers strain and yet he resists temptation toward more violent protest. The discussion centres on the ten-sion between compassion and fear—politi-cally, publicly and personally.

This pressure takes its toll on Wilber-force, whose health and resolve begin

to break. But a two-week courtship and marriage to antislavery supporter Barbara Spooner helps him renew his enthusiasm for the cause. Reassembling the cast of campaigners, Wilberforce fought for an-other 10 years, until his bill was passed in March, 1807—the anniversary of which was marked by the release of Amazing Grace in the United Kingdom and the United States earlier this year.

This historic vote to end the slave trade is the climax of the movie but was just a mile-stone in Wilberforce’s lifelong campaign, which led to a vote to abolish slavery itself in the days before his death in 1833.

“When people speak of great men, . . . rarely do they speak of peaceful men,” a fellow parliamentarian says in tribute to Wilberforce. But Amazing Grace is such a story, an example of the power of goodness to overcome evil.

It should prompt us to consider what it might mean to be a voice for the voice-less in the world today and how our faith should motivate us to action, even when in-convenient. In terms of the question posed to Wilberforce, to use our voice “to praise the Lord or to change the world” might sometimes be the same thing. R

Nathan Brown is editor of RECORD.

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letters

Loving the worldCYRIL WERE, NSW

“It’s the best editorial I’ve read in a long time,” remarked my wife, referring to “07.07.07” (Editorial, July 7). I was more than happy to agree with her. It was not just a pack of words, tedious and dry, but alive and vibrant. Jarrod is abreast of the times and aware of trends in the world. It gives us “oldies” a glimpse into the thinking of at least some of the younger generation and what makes them tick. And the editorial challenges us as Christians “to stand alongside our friends in the community and make a difference.”

Is it just coincidence that the editorial closely parallels Jarrod’s profi le of Hugh Evans in the July issue of Signs of the Times? Evans is a young humanitarian with a burning urge to “make poverty history,” change lives and make a difference.

As Samir Selmanovic challenged us in another, more philosophi-cal article in the same issue of Signs, we must “hear the call of God in its entirety and love and serve Christians and non-Christians alike, seeking their good and their blessing. Freed from the ob-session with our own personal salvation, we begin to live for the salvation of the world.”

God “loved the world” (see John 3:16) and He wants us to do the same.

Our call to carePETER SCHAPER, QLD

It is not surprising that the establishment—governing politi-cians and captains of industry—has been reluctant to acknowledge the inconvenient truth of global warming (“Heated discussion,” Letters, June 16). If there has been a global-warming conspiracy, it has been by the deniers, especially those with entrenched coal and oil interests.

But given where we stand in the prophetic time stream, I’m surprised to fi nd Adventists among the climate-change deniers. Whether or not global warming fi ts the prophecies, it is of much greater concern than any previous “scare.” Climate change is happening, so why quibble over its cause? Surely we should be doing whatever we can to reduce the human contribution to global warming, regardless of other contributing factors.

If the end-time prophecies are beginning to be fulfi lled, we will probably fail to control climate change, regardless of Genesis 8:22—but I keep coming back to Revelation 11:18 and asking my-self, do I want to be numbered among those who are destroying the earth?—and wondering if those of us who enjoy a Western lifestyle may actually be the culprits referred to in this text.

Ultimately, we must leave it in God’s hands—and put ourselves there, too. But humanity’s fi rst task was to care for the earth and Christians should not be among those destroying it, whether di-rectly or by inaction, denial or complacency.

Note: Views in Letters do not necessarily represent those of the editors or the denomination. Letters should be less than 250 words, and writers must include their name, address and phone number. All letters are edited to meet space and literary requirements, but the author’s original meaning will not be changed. Not all letters received are published. See masthead (page 3) for contact details.

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WeddingsSmeeton—Saloman. Andrew Alan Smeeton, son of Geoffrey Robinson (Pittsworth, Qld) and Annette Steele (Mooloolah), and Leanne

Denise Saloman, daughter of Tim and Den-ise Saloman (Helidon), were married on 20.7.07 at Mooloolah, Sunshine Coast. Mike Brownhill

ObituariesClark, Edward Myles (Ted), born 29.12.1925 in the north of England; died 14.07.07 in the Redcliffe Hospital, Qld. He is survived by his partner, Vi Longley. Mike Brownhill

Matthews, Gladys Eva (nee Barnes), born 12.11.1914 at Horsham, Vic, the eldest of fi ve children; died 8.7.07 at Nunawading. In Sep-tember 1954, she married Reuben Matthews, who predeceased her in 1977. She is survived by her nieces and nephews, of which there are many. Gladys was a member of Hor-sham, East Prahran and Coronella churches. Her nieces and nephews were precious to her. She loved caring for people. Ken Mead, Alex Buckler

Shelton, Maree Venetta, born 31.12.1931 at Geelong, Vic; died 4.7.07 at Ringwood. On 14.4.1959, she married Ron Shelton, at Preston, who predeceased her in May 2006. She is survived by her children, Mer-ryn Lennon (Townsville, Qld) and Linden Shelton (Yallourn North, Vic). Maree was a faithful and contributing member of the Warburton church, known for her love of music, her keen sense of humour and her positive outlook. Eric and Joy Kingdon

Tasker, Cedric Samuel, born 2.5.1934 at Port Macquarie, NSW; died 18.6.07 at Toormina. On 15.4.1961, he married Helen Peale at Dorrigo. He is survived by his wife, Helen (Toormina); his chil-dren from his fi rst marriage, Susan Mer-

cer (Melbourne, Vic) and Cathy (Byron Bay, NSW); his children from his mar-riage to Helen, Barbara Tasker (Coffs Har-bour), Tracy Bracken (Coffs Harbour) and Rachel Brown (South West Rocks); and his grandchildren, Casey, Bonny, Amber, Shannon, Ben, Shelley and Hannah. Ce-dric will always be remembered as a kind and caring person who would give away more than he was earning if he could. Loved, appreciated, and sadly missed by all his family and friends. Gordon Smith

Turner, Mona Marjorie, born 3.9.1916 at Smithfield, NSW; died peaceful-ly 26.5.07 in Charles Harrison Nurs-ing Home, Cooranbong, NSW. She is survived by her daughter, Robyn and husband, Brian Cormack; her sons and their wives, Kevin and Julie, and Trevor and Sandy; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her sister and brother-in-law, Edna and Ted Martin. She now rests in the hope of Jesus’ soon return. Claude Judd

Warland, Joyce (nee Skuse), born 22.10.1928 at Armadale, WA; died 17.6.07 in Perth. She was predeceased by her son, Graeme, in 1989. She is survived by her children, David and Viv (Ballarat, Vic), Carol and Lance Fish (Maryborough) and Ross and Dale (Hope Valley, WA). A service was held at Morley church, where Joyce had been an active member and was fondly re-membered as a faithful follower of Christ. We look forward to that glorious resurrec-tion morn. John Horvath

Withnell, Eileen Hilda (nee Hill), born 28.8.1929 in Perth, WA; died 6.7.07 in Royal Perth Hospital of a sudden stroke. On 27.12.1956, she married Cliff Withnell, who predeceased her on 24.4.1986. She was also predeceased by her son-in-law, Geoff, in 1998. She is survived by her daughter, Anne Kendall; her son, Ross; and her two grandchildren, Sarah and Stephen Kend-all. Eileen was a devoted teacher, having been principal of four different primary schools in the Perth area. She was an ear-nest member and elder of North Perth church. She was also an active member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and was honoured with State Life Membership for years of judging essay competitions. Cyrus Adams

AdvertisementsNote: Neither the editor, Signs Publishing Company, nor the Seventh-day Adventist Church is responsible for the quality of goods or services advertised. Publication does not indicate endorsement of a prod-uct or service. Advertisements approved by the editor will be inserted at the follow-ing rates: fi rst 30 words or less, $A49.50; each additional word, $A2.20. For your advertisement to appear, payment must be enclosed. Classifi ed advertisements in RECORD are available to Seventh-day Adventist members, churches and insti-tutions only. See masthead (page 2) for contact details.

Receive the Hope Channel and 3ABN. Complete satellite kit $265 + freight;

prime signal areas in Australia only. Full instructions for DIY installation. Install-ers available. Rural Electronics (02) 6361 3636; or <ruralele@bigpond.net.au>.

Data projectors, screens, DVDs VCRs, PA systems etc. Lower prices for SDA churches, schools etc. Australia only. Rural Electronics (02) 6361 3636; or <greenfields@netconnect.com.au>.

Avondale Homecoming*, August 24-26, 2007. Relax! Meet friends and eat food at the Alumni Association luncheon (Friday) and Sanitarium brunch (Sunday). *It just won’t be the same without you.

Motorbikes for district directors in island missions. Eleven delivered in 2006. Thirtyto be delivered this September. Organ-iser, David Lawson, offers his popular books, He was there all the time and Bi-ble-study guide—$A20 including post-age, proceeds to motorbike project. Or-der from Pastor Lawson, 16 Grosvenor Close, Sunnybank Hills, Qld 4109. Also available from some Adventist Book Centres.

Real Estate. Thinking of buying or sell-ing in Cooranbong or Morisset? Come in and talk to Xanthe Kalmar at LJ Hooker Morisset for good old-fashioned friendly service. Ph (02) 4970 5222 or 0423 213 162.

Advent Funerals— an Adventist business serving our church community. Sydney/Wollongong/Central Coast/Newcastle. Pre-paid and payment plans available. Phone 1300 791 182; fax (02) 4648 0166; email <ad-ventfunerals@aol.com>.

EP urgently requires a full-time bus driver between the ages of 25-35 to join the team from August 2007/2008. Applicant must have a medium rigid license. Auditions are now being taken for vocalists (male/fe-male) and musicians (drums, bass guitar, electric guitar) to get our 2008 team ready. If you want to experience road ministry at its fullest, contact Sandra Maletin on (02) 8783 7000 or email <ep@epraise.com.au>.

Housing for elderly. Our non-profi t Chris-tian based organisation called Medi Aid Centre Foundation (est 1973) has home unit accommodation available for elderly persons who can care for themselves but may have financial problems. Epping, Eastwood and Ryde area, Sydney. No in-going charges. Close to shops and trans-port. Monthly rental about half of normal commercial rates. Contact Anne (02) 9858 6105, email <anne@kghurst.com.au> or write PO Box 120, North Ryde, NSW 2113.

FinallyTry not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.—Albert Einstein

Volunteers!URGENT! Assistant Building Super-visor—Papua New Guinea. An assist-ant building supervisor is urgently needed for construction work in PNG. Experience in trade preferred. For more information, please con-tact Reg Davis on <rdavis@pngum.org.pg>.

URGENT! English Language Teach-ers—Thailand. English Language teachers are urgently needed in Thailand. Any length of time. For more information, contact Hayley on (02) 9847 3275 or <voluteers@adventist.org.au>.

Youth Pastor—Charlestown church is seeking a Youth pastor for 12 months, commencing ASAP. Duties include: being active in youth Sabbath school, some preaching, youth social events, Bible studies, visitations and involve-ment in Macquarie College. For more information, contact Hayley.

Email:<volunteers@adventist.org.au>

For more positions, check the web on <www.adventistvolunteers.org>

+61 2 9847 3275

Positions vacantBookings Administrator—Tui Ridge Park (Rotorua, New Zealand) is looking for a

vibrant, energetic person who enjoys working with people through the unique minis-try of Christian camping, to fi ll the position of bookings administrator. The successful applicant will need excellent phone and people skills, offi ce management experience, strong computer skills, the ability to work unsupervised and must be a team player with a heart for ministry and commitment to walking with Jesus. The person should be neat, tidy and organised, as well as interested in the outdoors. To apply or for fur-ther information, please email <andrew@tuiridgepark.co.nz> or send your CV to The Manager, Booking Administrator position, Tui Ridge Park, Oturoa Road, R D 2, Rotorua 3072, NZ. Applications close August 14, 2007.

Donor Relations/Administrative Assistant (Maternity Leave Position)—ADRA Aus-tralia is seeking an administrative professional to manage and maintain the agency’s donor database, information management system and provide administrative sup-port. This full-time maternity leave position requires excellent time management and organisational skills, knowledge of computer applications and the ability to provide quality customer service. For further information, please visit the position vacant section of the SPD website at <http://spd.adventist.org.au/dept/human_resources/va-cancies> or contact Cindy Cox on (02) 9489 5488. Applications in writing should be forwarded to Human Resources, ADRA Australia, PO Box 129, Wahroonga NSW 2076; e-mail <ccox@adra.org.au>. Applications close August 21, 2007.

Coordinator/Trainer-Safe Place Services—Australian Union Conference (Wahroonga, Australia). Successful applicant will receive allegations and complaints of child sexual abuse or sexual misconduct; coordinate investigations and risk assessments; write policy; and assist with education and training. Tertiary qualifi cations essential in one or more of the following: psychology, social work, counselling, law or policing. Experi-ence in child protection, sexual abuse and misconduct issues and consulting with police and other government departments necessary. For full position details and criteria, email <safeplaces@adventist.org.au>. Applications close August 31, 2007.

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30 August 11, 2007

noticeboard

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• Foundation Academic Excellence Scholarships• President’s Scholarships• Academic Excellence Scholarships• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Scholarships• Community Service Scholarships• Leadership Scholarships• Campus Life Scholarships• Teacher Education Scholarships & Grants• Theology Scholarships • Economic Hardship Scholarships

• Pathology Scholarships• Commonwealth Scholarships • International Merit Scholarships• International Summer Camp and Literature

Evangelist Scholarships• King and Amy O’Malley Scholarships

...with many more scholarships available throughaffi liated institutions

record 0706 scholarships indd 1 20/7/07 9:44:00 AM

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