Ministerial Council

The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick

6-9 January 2003

UNITED IN THE WONDER OF HIS GRACE AT SWANWICK

From Monday 6 to Thursday 9 January virtually the entire ministerial workforce of the British Union Conference met together at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, for their annual Ministerial Council. Altogether more than two hundred people attended the event which focused on the General Conference theme for 2003, "United in the Wonder of His Grace". Guest speakers included: Ed Dickerson, a layman from America with extensive hands-on experience of reaching post-moderns; Roscoe Howard, newly elected Secretary of the North American Division; Oscar Osindo, lecturer in Islamic Studies at Newbold College; Willma Bartlett, a specialist in Child Protection; and Harold Wollan, Secretary of the Trans-European Division.

In his keynote address on Monday evening BUC President Pastor Cecil Perry spoke about "God's Amazing Grace". He pointed out that although natural justice demands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, grace breaks the rules and saves us from the otherwise inevitable consequences of our actions. However he went on to say that, "to whom much is given much is required... When we deal with people who may have wronged us we consider how God deals with us."

Ed Dickerson's humorous style made him an instant favourite with his audience. His emphasis was on the importance of relationships in Christian witness and he highlighted the issue of what he referred to as "Toxic Adventists". "The people in our church who we tend to think of as saints are those who have a preoccupation with church work and are good, rather than nice. But this model of godliness has to change. These people may have admirers but they have no friends. In order to be effective witnesses we need to build healthy relationships with others and with God." Ed went on to encourage ministers and members alike, "The witness that really counts is ministering to people's needs, and we have thousands of people in our churches who can do that."

Roscoe Howard's special subject was diversity. In his introduction he talked about his upbringing in black, white and mixed families, and went on to show from the Bible that we are in fact all blood relatives, from the same family. "With a correct understanding of scripture," he said, "Seventh-day Adventists will create a new culture. They will not allow secular society to define culture for us. Everyone will be our brothers and sisters." In a later lecture Roscoe explained why the issue of diversity needs to be faced up to. "Demographically it is predicted that by the year 2050 there will be no dominant culture in North America. It is a fact that the Church has changed and it will continue to change. The question is, do we spend our time worrying about why the change has taken place or do we work on adapting to the change?"

Oscar Osindo's in depth understanding of Islamic culture and religion was built up over eight years of his ministry in a Moslem environment. "Sixty percent of the population in the territory of the Trans-European Division is Moslem," he said, "and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world." Oscar suggested a number of different approaches that Christians, and especially Seventh-day Adventists, could take towards Moslems and then explained the current policy of "bridge building" put forward by the Global Centre for Adventist Moslem Relations. This lecture prompted more questions than any other during the four days of the Ministerial Council.

Wednesday afternoon was dedicated to the LIFEdevelopment.info evangelistic strategy and presenters included Miroslav Pujic and Dalbert Elias, who are key promoters of the project, and Lee Gallaher who announced the imminent release of the next LIFE.info magazine. Lee's presentation went down well, his dry sense of humour reviving those who were beginning to flag under the sheer weight of information being presented. New faces in connection with LIFEdevelopment.info were Daniel Suadwah and Raymond Ogbobu, whose company, Future Advent, is taking over the design and implementation of the LIFEdevelopment.info web-site.

On the last day Willma Bartlett spoke quietly to a subdued audience on the issue of child abuse. "Everyone expects our churches to be safe," she said, "but we can't assume that. Just as we cannot assume that our churches are safe from fire, we need to put in a system for ensuring that our children are safe." Fortunately the Church has been actively implementing new guidelines and procedures in the area of child safety and Wilma, together with Heather Haworth, outlined some of the training materials that are now available.

Harold Wollan concluded the Ministerial Council with a devotional study on "commitment". He emphasised the fact that God uses normal people to do His work, "people like you and me, but people who can make a difference." These "difference makers" need to have certain qualities such as discipline, being a good team member, and perseverance, but mainly they need to be willing "to show others that a life with God is worth more than a life without God."

There were many other memorable events during the week including workshops, worships, and a particularly encouraging report back from several ministers who are seeing God work in exceptional ways in their districts. Most would agree however that the most memorable time of all was on Wednesday evening when everyone joined together in the chapel for a communion service. This included a solo, "Grace Grace", by North England Conference President Egerton Francis, and a sermon based on Romans 5 by South England Conference President Don McFarlane. In his farewell remarks BUC Ministerial Association director, Alan Hodges, who organised the whole Ministerial Council, spoke of the communion service of being the highlight of the week, and thanked all of those who had helped to make the meetings a time of spiritual renewal and true fellowship.

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