CAMP MEETING, HERE WE COME! - JUNE 2019: A WORLD WITHOUT FEATHERS, FINS, OR FUR + MORE THAN SHADOWS + ENDING WELL + THREE, TWO, ONE, BLASTOFF + ...

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                                 JUNE 2019: A WORLD WITHOUT FEATHERS, FINS,
                                 OR FUR + MORE THAN SHADOWS + ENDING WELL +
                                 THREE, TWO, ONE, BLASTOFF + NEW PLACE,
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                      CAMP
                      MEETING,
                      HERE WE
                      COME!                 CAMP MEETI NG

                                             19
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CAMP MEETING, HERE WE COME! - JUNE 2019: A WORLD WITHOUT FEATHERS, FINS, OR FUR + MORE THAN SHADOWS + ENDING WELL + THREE, TWO, ONE, BLASTOFF + ...
VOLUME 195
                                                                         06/19          NUMBER 06

CAMP MEETING

 19            COVER FEATURE
                    18   CAMP MEETING | MERLE POIRIER
                         Adventists and camp meeting go together
                         like hand and glove.

                    22   CAMP MEETING MEMORIES
                         » CYCLE OF JOY
                         » CAMP MEETING—WHAT’S THAT?
                         » CAMPING WITH MY GRANDDAUGHTERS
                         » A MISSIONARY KID’S CAMP MEETING

                    30 OUR CAMP MEETINGS | ELLEN G. WHITE
                       Do we show up for a blessing? Or do we just show up?

                                                         JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   1
CAMP MEETING, HERE WE COME! - JUNE 2019: A WORLD WITHOUT FEATHERS, FINS, OR FUR + MORE THAN SHADOWS + ENDING WELL + THREE, TWO, ONE, BLASTOFF + ...
As electricity had yet to be invented, torches were placed at nightfall strategically
  throughout the camp. Common meals were shared around a fire. And the first
“Adventist Book Center,” constructed from three wooden planks, sold more than
 $600 in literature (equivalent to more than $10,000 today). Each night as people
 retired to their tents, J. N. Andrews, then General Conference president, walked
   up and down the tent rows asking, “Are you all comfortable for the night?”

                                                     20
ARTICLES
32 ENOCH WAS A DADDY, TOO               44 FAITHFUL TO THE END              50 THREE, TWO, ONE, BLASTOFF!
    LAEL CAESAR                            KAREN BIRNEY                        Juan A. Román has helped to
    Perhaps one of the reasons             We never know when that             engineer some of humanity’s
    he walked with God was that            conversation will be our last.      great space explorations.
    he knew what it was like to be
                                        46 SEARCHING FOR                    56 ENDING WELL
    a parent.
                                           GOD IN SPACE                        After careers spent serving
36 BEING A FATHER TO                       MART DE GROOT
                                                                               Adventist education, Niels-
   THE FATHERLESS                          “The heavens declare the            Erik and Demetra Andreasen
    LISA GREY                              glory of God.”                      share (some of) the lessons
    We’ve all had mentors. Maybe
                                        48 PUSHING THE                         they’ve learned.
    it’s time to return the favor.
                                           BOUNDARIES OF SPACE              62 A WORLD WITHOUT
40 10 STEPS TO                             STEPHEN CHAVEZ
                                                                               FEATHERS, FINS, OR FUR
   FRUITFUL MINISTRY                       Meet Robert Ellington Shurney.        CECILIA LUCK
    AMY CUMMINGS
                                                                                 Where would humanity be
    It all beginss with a willingness                                            without God’s other living
    to say “Yes,, Lord.”                                                         creatures?
                                                                            64 “THIS IS GOOD.”
                                                                                 DOUGLAS MAXSON
                                                                                 A son with a message to share
              40                                                                 and a father who wanted to
                                                                                 learn

                                                                                 EDITORIAL
NEWS|OPINION                                                                 5 BILL KNOTT
                                                                                 JUST SAY “YES!”
» How to Stop Membership Loss
                                                                                 D E PA R TM E N T S
» New Zealand Adventists                                                     6   LETTERS
    Connect With Muslims in the                                             60   HOUSE CALL
    Wake of Mosque Attacks
                                                                            68   CLOSER LOOK
» Vegans Found to Have                                                      70   VOICES
    Disease-fighting Biomarkers                                                  COLUMNS

» Business Magazine Examines How                                            39 CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE
                                                                                 HYVETH WILLIAMS
    Adventists Spend Their Money
                                                                            53 TIPS FOR TRANSFORMATION
» Would You Fly on a                                                             DELBERT W. BAKER
                                                                            55 INTRODUCING THE WHY
    Boeing 737 Max 8?                                                            JIMMY PHILLIPS
                                                                            64 IN OTHER WORDS
                                                                                 STEPHEN CHAVEZ

2    ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019                                                              ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
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FOUNDED 1849. PUBLISHED BY THE GENERAL
CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS®                  THE MOST SHARED STORIES ON ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG LAST MONTH:
PUBLISHING BOARD
Ted N. C. Wilson, chair
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                                                                               Andrews University Invests in
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Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, Williams Costa, Daniel R.
Jackson, Peter Landless, Brad Thorp, Geoffrey
                                                                           1   Sustainable Agriculture
Mbwana, G. T. Ng, Daisy Orion, Juan Prestol-Puesán,
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REVIEW MINISTRIES Bill Knott
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                                                       Created lower than the angels—
AD SALES Glen Gohlke, Seth Hill, Carlos Medley
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EDITORIAL

       BILL KNOTT
                                                                              They know things that their
                                                                                    church needs to know.

Just Say “Yes!”
     e seems oblivious to the fact        “I’m an agronomist for the           they love how it could find new

H    that the ceiling lights in this
     vast tech convention exhibit
hall have blinked for the next-to-
                                       World Bank,” she says with a gen-
                                       tle smile, knowing that her job
                                       title will require further explana-
                                                                               efficiencies and methods to spread
                                                                               the gospel, feed hungry people,
                                                                               care for the displaced, and make
final time. One more blink, and         tion for a preacher schooled in         the most of limited resources.
we may have to find our way in          history and theology. “I study soil        They aren’t asking for a job:
pitch-blackness through the            composition patterns in eastern         most, in fact, would find it difficult
maze of hundreds of booths             sub-Saharan Africa to recom-            to shoehorn their gifts and train-
toward the light streaming             mend new grain products that            ing into the traditional quadrants
through one open door.                 provide better yields during peri-      of Adventist employment. But
   “You see,” he says, “this app       ods of multiyear drought.”              they know things that their church
could solve a real-life problem for       Would her work have an               needs to know: they have deep
the church. Every year hundreds        impact on migration of popula-          training and clear thinking, and
of thousands of Seventh-day            tions in the region? I ask, trying      they see the bridges between what
Adventists around the globe            to match my memory of geogra-           is happening on the cutting edge
attempt to transfer their member-      phy with stories appearing in my        of their areas of skill and the bleed-
ship from one congregation to          newsfeed.                               ing edge of a broken world’s needs.
another. The process frequently           “Absolutely,” she says gently. “I       It’s time—no, well past time—
takes months, even years: the          think you’re getting it.”               to invite them into the circle
frustration gets to be enormous.          ***                                  where policies are made, initia-
Knowing how difficult it may be,          They are both astonished when        tives are planned, and resources
many members now don’t even            I ask them if they have ever pre-       are distributed.
bother to request the traditional      viously shared their ideas and             Four years ago, I sat with one
letter of transfer. They simply        their skills with persons in church     such talented young entrepre-
move to a new place, and start         leadership.                             neur as he attended his first min-
attending a new congregation.             “No,” each says slowly, as           istry committee. On the agenda
Church records rapidly get out-of-     though the question was slightly        was a plan to spend $30,000 on
date. If there was a way that          fantastical. “I didn’t think until      a contract with a media firm to
encrypted member information           just now that anyone might really       provide “social media support.”
could be quickly and securely          be interested. But I would love to         He stared at me in disbelief,
sent by wireless device from one       show my church how what I’ve            and when I nodded, slowly raised
church clerk to another . . .”         learned and what I do could make        his hand. “I don’t want to be
   In another moment, we are           a difference in the way we serve        impertinent,” he said slowly to
going to have to rely on the light     each other and the world.”              the committee, “but you should
shining in his eyes to find our way        ***                                  know that all that software is
to the door.                              Across the face of this world-       available for free on the web.”
   ***                                 circling movement, there are hun-          “You earned the price of your
   She stands in the church lobby      dreds—no, make that tens of             ticket to be here today—many
with a group of twentysomething        thousands—of Adventist young            times over,” I told him after the
young adults, deciding at which        adults working in technology, sci-      meeting. “We need more people
park they will convene for their       ence, education, business, and the      like you.”
weekly Sabbath afternoon “walk         arts who are willing—no, make              And we do. Right now. Moving
and talk.”                             that eager—to show the church           forward.
                                                                                      JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   5
CAMP MEETING, HERE WE COME! - JUNE 2019: A WORLD WITHOUT FEATHERS, FINS, OR FUR + MORE THAN SHADOWS + ENDING WELL + THREE, TWO, ONE, BLASTOFF + ...
INBOX                                       The two years of Medical Cadet Corps (MCC) train-
                                            ing in military courtesy and close order drill in
                                            the early 1950s gave me an excellent background
                                            for when I was drafted as a dentist in 1962.
                                             WILLIAM HEISLER, ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA

I HAVE BEEN DISTURBED
In response to the article
                         e
“I Have Been Disturbed”
                         h
(March 2019), I agree with
the sentiment of Kenneth  th
Wood’s editorial. There iss
balance. Yes, I am very much
sympathetic to the letterr writer to                                         sservice
                                                                               er
                                                                               ervic
                                                                                  vice
                                                                                  vice in
                                                                                       in the
                                                                                          the U.S
                                                                                              U.S.. Army
                                                                                                    Army in
whom he responds. At the  he present                                          Germany
                                                                              G erman
                                                                                  manyy from
                                                                                         from 19
                                                                                               1962
                                                                                                 62 to 1966.
time I see our church in the same                                                The tw
                                                                                      twoo years of Medical CCadet
condition, and probably in even worse                                         Corps (MCC) training in military
                                                                                                        milita
circumstances.                                                                courtesy and close order drildrill at
   I will give just on example. Many of our schools and academies             Columbia Adventist Academy
have closed. Each succeeding generation of Adventism is losing the            (CAA) in Battle Ground, Washing-
spirit of sacrifice. It appears that roughly one third of our member-          ton, in the early 1950s gave me
ship carries the financial load. I believe that the latter rain is             an excellent background and a
coming, and that about 14 classes of individuals will leave the ranks         “leg up” on others for when I was
of honest believers. Prayers and best wishes.                                 drafted as a dentist in 1962.
   William Zelenak                                                               As a student at Walla Walla
   Greensboro, North Carolina                                                 College (now WWU), and the
                                                                              College of Medical Evangelists
                                                                              (now Loma Linda University), I
The choice of reprinting Kenneth       and wisdom to meet what lies           benefitted from a student
Wood’s “I Have Been Disturbed”         ahead in faithfulness and truth.       deferment, making me ineligible
message from 1975 regarding the        Let us pray earnestly that             for the draft until age 35. So when
repentance and reform needed,          leaders, pastors, and those at all     the Berlin Wall went up, I was one
not only by leaders but by all         levels of His end-time church will     of those called to serve. My wife,
members, is an inspired one.           lean closer to Jesus and thus to       Barbara, and I, with our two small
Now is the time for our church to      each other.                            sons, were privileged to be
see and realize its true condition,       Kelvin Johnson                      stationed near Frankfurt am Main,
plead with God for His cleansing          McMinnville, Oregon                 where the General Conference
of our lives, and determine to                                                recently purchased a stately
obey all His commands. His             FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED              home to serve as the service-
promises and foretelling are           The recap of our church’s service      men’s center and home of our
sure. All His biddings are             to military members by Richard         civilian Adventist chaplain. At that
enablings. In His strength and         Stenbakken (March 2019) brought        time there were two other
Word alone we will find courage         many refreshing memories of my         Adventist chaplains in Germany.

6   ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019                                                            ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
CAMP MEETING, HERE WE COME! - JUNE 2019: A WORLD WITHOUT FEATHERS, FINS, OR FUR + MORE THAN SHADOWS + ENDING WELL + THREE, TWO, ONE, BLASTOFF + ...
We need to educate our church, including our pastors,
                                     about how to help people suffering with depression,
                                     grief, anxiety, and other emotional illnesses.
                                     SUE GILMORE, VIA WEB

                                        IN A FEW WORDS . . .
Because our main chaplain, who
                                        HOW ADVENTISTS SPEND THEIR MONEY,
served all of England, Europe, and
                                        ACCORDING TO TOP BUSINESS MAGAZINE
North Africa, was often away,
Barbara and I led out with
assistance from other Adventist         I’m 65 and retired. I always thought the Lord would come before I
members. The annual military            reached this stage of life.
retreats in Bergtesgarten were             Being a tither since I was a child has kept me in closer touch with
especially meaningful to us             my income and resources. It has given me a good feel for exactly
service members. The time, effort,      how much money I have to work with, how much I should reserve
and money spent by our                  for the future, and continues to help to prevent overextending
denomination to stay in contact         myself.
with and support our members in            Too many people can’t wait to spend what they don’t have, with
service often came back manyfold        that risky behavior enabled by lenders making credit all too easy to
and blessed in unexpected ways.         obtain. So many fall for the ego-stroking advertising deception that
   William Heisler                      says we “deserve” a bigger home, we “deserve” a fancier car, we
   Roseville, California                “deserve” a faster boat, we “deserve” a motorhome AND a summer
                                        home on the lake, we “deserve” a deeper pool, we “deserve” an Ivy
THANKFUL FOR GRACENOTES                 League education for the kids.
Thanks for creating GraceNotes. I          Tithing has helped me better understand two things: just what
have downloaded them, and I am          “thou shalt not covet” really means, and that bad decisions tend to
using them frequently on our            snowball.
Adventist radio station, Radio of          Jim Peachley, Via Web
Life—KTFJ 104 FM and internet
radio, www.radiooflife.org. God       illness. Many think if you have              a priority, because depression is
bless you.                           these diseases you somehow                   on the rise, even impacting
   Donn Leiske                       have less faith than others. They            children and teens. God bless
                                     fail to see how it is a multi-fac-           you for speaking up.
HOW TO RESPOND?                      eted disease with physical                      Sue Gilmore
Thank you so much for the article    factors. I hope we can make this                Via Web
“Adverse Childhood Experiences,
Mental Health, and the Adventist
Church” (AR Online). I whole-
                                        YOUR TURN
heartedly agree. We need to             We welcome your letters, noting, as always, that inclusion of a letter in this
educate our church, including           section does not imply that the ideas expressed are endorsed by either the
                                        editors of the Adventist Review or the General Conference. Short, specific,
our pastors, about how to help
                                        timely letters have the best chance at being published (please include your
people suffering with depression,       complete address and phone number—even with e-mail messages). Letters
grief, anxiety, and other               will be edited for space and clarity only. Send correspondence to Letters
                                        to the Editor, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD
emotional illnesses.
                                        20904-6600; Internet: letters@adventistreview.org.
   People are afraid of mental

                                                                                          JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   7
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P R E S E N T S

BOLD.
HONEST.
RELEVANT.

   CANDID CONVERSATION ABOUT
    ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU.

          COMING IN JUNE
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“I hope I’ll still be an
Adventist by age 40,”
 she answered, “but
I’m not so sure about
next year.”

HOW TO STOP THE ADVENTIST CHURCH
MEMBERSHIP BLEEDING
LEADERS SHARE WHAT IS WORKING TO KEEP MEMBERS IN CHURCH AND ENGAGED.
BY MARCOS PASEGGI, ADVENTIST REVIEW

D     o you think you’ll still be an
      Adventist by age 40?” asked
Scottish Mission president Paul
                                        relate to time. “Turning 40 seems
                                        far off,” he said. “They are more wor-
                                        ried about the here and now.”
                                                                                 church region can do to slow down
                                                                                 and even prevent this disengage-
                                                                                 ment process. Scores of other church
Tompkins to an 18-year-old a few           Tompkins said that an evaluation      leaders, who met in Silver Spring,
years ago.                              of risks in the region he serves has     Maryland, United States, for the
   “I hope I’ll still be an Adventist   identified their number-one risk:         three-day event, also shared what
by age 40,” she answered, “but I’m      children and young adults not buy-       they are doing to reverse the trend.
not so sure about next year.”           ing into Adventism.
   Tompkins, a presenter at the 2019       “Why are they leaving?” Tompkins      MEANINGFUL RELATION-
Nurture and Retention Summit at         asked. Answering his own question,       SHIPS AND DISCIPLESHIP
the Adventist Church headquarters       he said that even though some rea-          Several presenters emphasized
on April 7, 2019, used this exchange    sons are difficult to articulate, there   that staying in church often has more
to illustrate how young people often    are some things any church and           to do with the positive experiences

                                                                                           JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   9
NEWS

      Most church leaders believe a thorough auditing
      process of members—going over rolls to certify
      active, missing, or dead members—can have a
      positive effect on retaining members.

     in the local church than with spe-        all cultures, and all social classes.”   makes sense to call on education,
     cific church doctrines. “When it             Pako Mokgwane, Adventist Church       since Christian education has shown
     comes to remaining an Adventist,          associate Youth director, presented      itself to be a strong predictor of
     the experience in the local church        on the importance of iCOR for young      young people staying in church be-
     is much more significant,” Tompkins        member retention. “In most local         yond their teenage years. In a joint
     said. “They need a spiritual home         churches, participation is skewed        presentation with education asso-
     to which they feel they belong.” The      toward adults, but the participation     ciate director John Wesley Taylor V,
     question, then, is how can we help        of young people in decision-mak-         Beardsley-Hardy explained that re-
     our church become a spiritual home        ing processes, in leadership, mis-       search demonstrates that students
     for young people?                         sion, and worship, heightens the         who attend an Adventist school are
        Tompkins and others believe that       feeling of belonging,” he said. “ICOR    much more likely to be baptized and
     an intentional discipleship program       offers 10 values that foster healthy     to remain Seventh-day Adventists.
     can help. “Every person should have       relationships, and healthy relation-        “They are also more likely to
     an age-specific Bible study by age         ships beget healthy churches that        marry a Seventh-day Adventist and
     14,” he said. “We also need key pro-      keep members and attract more            to financially support the church
     grams targeting 14- to 17-year-olds,      people.”                                 through tithes,” she said. “Primary
     and discipleship groups for those                                                  education has the greatest positive
     18 to 25.”                                POOLING RESOURCES                        impact, followed by secondary then
        The Trans-European Division, a            Church leaders also reported          tertiary, education. The more years
     church region that encompasses            that they are pooling resources from     in Adventist education, the greater
     22 European countries, is working         various church ministries to sup-        the likelihood of becoming and re-
     to create safe spaces in which chil-      port efforts to keep members—es-         maining a Seventh-day Adventist
     dren and youth can interact with          pecially young people—engaged            with a mature faith.”
     leaders, according to its executive       and involved in church life.
     secretary, Audrey Andersson. “We             “Several church departments—          CHURCH MEMBERS’
     are creating resources for disciple-      Sabbath School and personal              AUDITING
     ship, mentoring, and conflict res-         ministries, ministerial, women’s            On a more technical note, most
     olution,” she said.                       ministries—are working together          church leaders believe a thorough
        The idea behind some of the lat-       with a discipleship emphasis,” said      auditing process of members—go-
     est efforts is to make of the local       Leonard Johnson, Inter-Ameri-            ing over rolls to certify active, miss-
     church a place of refuge, encour-         can Division (IAD) executive sec-        ing, or dead members—can have a
     agement, and growth. Part of it is        retary. Richard Sabuin, Northern         positive effect on retaining mem-
     based on iCOR, the iChurch of Ref-        Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) personal      bers. “The more information about
     uge, a concept developed at the           ministries and Sabbath School di-        the members pastors have, the bet-
     Center for Youth Evangelism at An-        rector, had a similar comment. “We       ter pastoral care they can provide,”
     drews University in Berrien Springs,      are combining the assistance of the      said Charles Rampanelli, South Bra-
     Michigan, United States. According        children, family, and education de-      zilian Union Conference executive
     to its website, its key idea is that      partments,” he said of the church        secretary. In his breakout session
     “the church as a safe haven that          union region based in Korea. “In         Rampanelli spoke about the sys-
     provides protection, mediation,           that way we cover all areas: school,     tem Adventist leaders have imple-
     justice, and long-term nurturing care.”   home, and church,” he emphasized.        mented in his region and the re-
     At the same time, the initiative             For Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, Adven-      sults they are getting.
     seeks to include “all generations,        tist Church Education director, it          Rampanelli shared that a spe-

10    ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019                                                                       ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
On behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, New Zealand Pacific
                                       Union Conference president Eddie Tupai (far left) and South New
                                       Zealand Conference president Mike Sikuri (third from left) met with
                                       local and international Muslim imams in Christchurch in the after-
                                       math of the mosques attack. PHOTOS: ADVENTIST RECORD

cially appointed committee in local
churches is dividing members into            NEW ZEALAND ADVENTISTS
five categories, from those who               CONNECT WITH MUSLIMS IN
regularly attend church to those             AFTERMATH OF MOSQUE ATTACKS
who have stopped attending. It is            CHURCH OFFERS RESOURCES TO HELP MEMBERS SUPPORT
something, he said, that allows              MUSLIM FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
pastors and local leaders to define
                                             BY JARROD STACKELROTH, ADVENTIST RECORD
what type of service and care should
be provided to each. “It can also
help to see trends,” he added, “and          I n the wake of the devastating Christchurch attacks on March
                                               15, 2019, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South New
                                             Zealand Conference has produced resources to help members
make necessary adjustments.”
                                             connect with and support Muslim friends and neighbors in cul-
INVOLVED IN MISSION                          turally appropriate ways.
   Beyond specific tools, most lead-             With both video and printable assets, the simple techniques
ers agree that one antidote against          aim to break down barriers at a time the people of Christ-
member losses is finding a place              church are struggling, according to Mike Sikuri, South New
where every member can serve. It             Zealand Conference president.
is a strong component, for instance,            “People here are tired,” Sikuri said. “[The attack] has brought
of the NSD SEEK 2020 initiative that         back recent trauma from the earthquakes. We are shocked that
looks to Search, Encourage, Em-              something like this can happen here. It raises questions about
power, and Keep members. Sabuin              how we deal with people of other races and communities.”
explained, “When you empower                    Making connections is where Sikuri sees the resources as
members for service, it’s easier for         being important to coach church members. Yet, he said, he
them to decide to stay.”                     also recognizes that it is not only the Muslim community that
   Adventist Church president Ted            is hurting.
Wilson agreed. “The greatest vacci-             Christchurch Adventist School is quite close to the scene of
nation against people leaving the            one of the mosque attacks and was placed in lockdown during
church is getting people involved in         the incident. Although counselors and pastors provided sup-
what the mission of the church is            port, Sikuri said, there has been a rise in the number of chil-
about,” he said in closing remarks.          dren responding violently to disagreements and having anx-
   It is something that demands              iety and panic attacks, particularly those who watched a video
not only vision but also willingness         of the attack. Leaders in the conference church region are
to accommodate, Tompkins said,               looking at how to best provide mental health first aid to the
especially when members return               children and staff.
to church. “People often come back              In the aftermath of the event, there was an outpouring of com-
with tangled lives,” he said as he           munity support, Sikuri said, and the conference and ADRA are
shared the story of Becky, an Ad-            committed to long-term support as more needs become evident
ventist-born troubled teenager who,          in the future. “We’ve touched base daily, offered accommodation
after years away from church, de-            at the Pascoe Park campground, including breakfasts from the
cided to return. “She was embraced           Adventist food factory at the family center, but we are commit-
and rebaptized, and now has a min-           ted to helping with needs that may come up down the track.”
istry to help other troubled teen-              Christchurch pastors have met regularly and were encour-
agers,” he said.                             aged when they were joined by Eddie Tupai, leader of the New

                                                                                     JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   11
After a vigil held at Latimer
                         Square, South New Zealand
                         Conference president Mike Sikuri
                         and Peter Hira from Christchurch
                         Worship Center greet each other
                         with a traditional hongi.
                                                                 VEGANS FOUND TO
                                                                 HAVE HIGHEST
     Zealand Pacific Union, and Denison Grellmann, CEO            AMOUNT OF
     of ADRA New Zealand. “Their support was important
     as it showed we are not alone, but part of one big
                                                                 DISEASE-FIGHTING
     family,” Sikuri said.                                       BIOMARKERS
        On the first Sabbath immediately after the attacks,       LACTO-OVO VEGETARIANS NEARLY
     most Adventist churches in South New Zealand made           TIED WITH PESCO-VEGETARIANS
     time in their services for reflection, and ministers         FOR SECOND PLACE.
     adapted their sermons. “People had questions, fear,
     wondering what’s going on,” Sikuri said. “Some churches     BY JAMES PONDER, LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY
                                                                 HEALTH NEWS
     provided spaces where people could talk and pro-

                                                                 A
     cess, or a special time for prayer.”                               vegan diet was found to produce the
        Sikuri paid tribute to his pastors, especially Christ-          healthiest levels of diet-related bio-
     church regional coordinators Stephen Wilson and             markers compared to other diet patterns,
     Younis Masih. Both have had experience working with         according to a Loma Linda University study
     Muslim communities in the past. Masih is originally         reported in the February 19, 2019, issue of
     from Pakistan, and Wilson worked in Albania.                the Journal of Nutrition.
        “We had a vigil of Christian churches,” Sikuri said.        Like clues at a crime scene, biomarkers
     “Imams and Muslims turned up because of the Ad-             in blood, urine, fat tissue, and other bio-
     ventist connection. Stephen and Younis have been            specimens can serve as indicators or pre-
     there [at the family center] almost every day. They         dictors of health and disease. Biomarkers
     have developed our resources to coach people to be          may have favorable or unfavorable health
     culturally sensitive, and we’ve shared those with other     effects, promoting or preventing cancer,
     Christian churches.                                         cardiovascular and age-related diseases,
        “These two men, I’ve been proud of them. Muslim          and other chronic conditions.
     leaders have just been overwhelmed, with so much               Researchers at the Loma Linda University
     to process. Through those men they made the con-            School of Public Health (LLUSPH) found that
     nections,” Sikuri said. But the work in Christchurch is     a vegan diet slightly outperformed other
     not finished yet, he added. In the churches of that          vegetarian diets, all of which fared better
     conference, leaders are now focused on asking what          than semi-vegetarian or nonvegetarian
     the needs are and supporting people in the Adventist        diets.
     Church at large.                                               The research study—“Plasma, Urine, and
        “Over the next number of months, we may look at          Adipose Tissue Biomarkers of Dietary Intake
     bringing somebody in, some Adventist specialists, to        Differ Between Vegetarian and Nonvegetar-
     help people process things.”                                ian Diet Groups in the Adventist Health
        Adventist churches are also gearing up for evan-         Study-2”—took its data from the long-run-
     gelism meetings in October. In some ways, Sikuri            ning health study based at the school.
     said, the tragedy has reminded local residents of              Fayth Miles, an assistant professor at
     the essential things in life, and they are prioritizing     LLUSPH and lead author of the study, said
     relationships and connections as never before.              the examined biomarkers likely help explain

12    ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019                                                       ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
Previous studies at Loma Linda University have
shown that vegetarians live longer than those
who eat meat, and have lower risk of cancer,
diabetes, and cardiometabolic disorders.

                                                                            pure vegetarian diet and never or
                                                                            rarely eat eggs, dairy, fish, or meat;
                                                                            lacto-ovo vegetarians, who eat eggs
                                                                            and dairy more than once per
                                                                            month, but never or rarely eat fish
                                                                            or meat; pesco-vegetarians, who
                                                                            eat fish at least once per month,
                                                                            but never or rarely eat meat;
                                                                            semi-vegetarians, who eat meat,
                                                                            and perhaps fish, at least once per
                                                                            month, but less than once per week;
                                                                            and nonvegetarians, who consume
                                                                            meat at least once per week.
                                                                               As predicted, vegans scored high-
                                                                            est in terms of bioactive markers
                                                                            that prevent disease. Phytochem-
                                                                            icals (compounds in plants), in-
                                                                            cluding carotenoids, isoflavones,
                                                                            and enterolactone were all higher
                                                                            among vegetarians and highest
                                                                            among vegans. Vegans also had
                                                                            the highest levels of total omega-3,
                                                                            attributable to higher amounts of
                                                                            alpha-linolenic acid, and lowest
                                                                            levels of saturated fatty acids.
                                                                               Miles thought lacto-ovo vege-
                                                                            tarians would take second place,
                                                                            but in reality, they nearly tied with
other positive health outcomes       tarians live longer than those who     pesco-vegetarians. She also ex-
that have been observed among        eat meat, and have lower risk of       pressed surprise that semi-vege-
vegetarians compared to nonveg-      cancer, diabetes, and cardiomet-       tarians fared only slightly better
etarians. She is optimistic about    abolic disorders. Miles and her col-   than nonvegetarians, who took the
the implications of this study.      leagues wondered if five specific        last place.
  “An awareness that a healthier     dietary patterns, characterized by        “Overall, results for semi-vege-
biomarker profile is obtained with    differing levels of consumption of     tarians look very similar to non-veg-
a plant-based diet should moti-      animal-based foods, might yield        etarians,” Miles said. “This research
vate people to be proactive about    biomarkers that potentially cor-       helps validate our previous clas-
dietary habits that promote good     relate with these different health     sification of AHS-2 participants into
health and prevent disease,” Miles   outcomes.                              various diet groups and paves the
said.                                   To find out, they examined data      way for future studies elucidating
  Previous studies at Loma Linda     from 840 participants among five        mechanisms linking diet patterns
University have shown that vege-     categories—vegans, who follow a        to disease.”

                                                                                      JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   13
NEWS

                                                                                   emphasizes many residents’ focus
                                                                                   on exercise, recreation, and social
                                                                                   ties. He quotes Loma Linda’s city
                                                                                   manager, Jarb Thaipejr, who told
                                                                                   him, “Vitality is a good term for
                                                                                   [Loma Linda seniors]. There’s a
                                                                                   different mindset. . . . Instead of
                                                                                   competition, it’s more focused on
                                                                                   community, compassion, and
                                                                                   cooperation.”
                                                                                      Eisenberg also quotes Michael
                                                                                   Orlich, one of the lead investiga-
     HOW ADVENTISTS SPEND                                                          tors of what he terms “Loma Linda

     THEIR MONEY, ACCORDING                                                        University’s famed Adventist Health
                                                                                   Study.” Orlich delved into re-
     TO TOP BUSINESS MAGAZINE                                                      search-based evidence that shows
     AUTHOR EXPLAINS HOW LOMA LINDA ADVENTISTS                                     reductions in the risk of getting
     EAT, EXERCISE, PAY TITHE, AND SAVE.                                           conditions such as cardiovascular
                                                                                   disease and several types of can-
     BY MARCOS PASEGGI, ADVENTIST REVIEW
                                                                                   cer. Or, as Orlich acknowledged to

     O     ne of the top business mag-
           azines in the United States
     recently published a story on Sev-
                                            residents are Seventh-day Adven-
                                            tists, as the article acknowledges.
                                               In his story Eisenberg refers to
                                                                                   Eisenberg, Seventh-day Adventists
                                                                                   seem to get those conditions much
                                                                                   later in life. “They seem to occur
     enth-day Adventists and their re-      how Seventh-day Adventists eat,        later,” Orlich said.
     lation to health and money.            work, exercise, and keep socially
        The 1,900-word report posted        active, and—in tune with Forbes        SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS
     by Forbes magazine on April 16,        magazine’s focus on finance and         AND MONEY
     2019, entitled “How the Oldest Peo-    investing—how they save and spend         Understandably, Forbes dis-
     ple in America’s Blue Zone Make        their money, especially during their   cusses Seventh-day Adventists’ re-
     Their Money Last,” was written by      retirement years.                      lation to money, especially during
     contributor Richard Eisenberg.                                                the retirement years. Eisenberg
        The author visited Loma Linda,      BEYOND FOOD CHOICES                    mentions that across the United
     California, United States, one of         Not surprisingly, the Forbes        States, running out of money be-
     the so-called Blue Zones, a term       story mentions that Seventh-day        fore a person dies has recently been
     coined by National Geographic          Adventists—whom Eisenberg              ranked as the number one fear of
     writer Dan Buettner to designate       describes as “energetic, upbeat,       seniors.
     “longevity pockets” around the         and social”—“typically don’t drink        Loma Linda Seventh-day
     world. Loma Linda is considered        alcohol or smoke.” He also writes      Adventists, Eisenberg explained,
     to be one of those pockets, as a       that “they are frequently vegan        usually have a different attitude.
     significant percentage of residents     and favor nuts.”                       “The reason they tend not to
     are healthy and active even in their      But the author does not dwell       worry about running out of
     80s, 90s, or beyond. Many of those     on food choices so much as he          money . . . is that they’ve saved

14   ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019                                                                 ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
Health-conscious living, a focus on
keeping and enlarging one’s social
network, and careful investment
planning can go a long way to helping
people thrive in their senior years.

and invested diligently,” he wrote. e.
   The Forbes article also quotess
retired pastor Dan Matthews, who     o
explained to Eisenberg how tithe     e
and offerings work for Seventh-dayy
Adventists. “No money we earn . . .
is totally ours; 90 percent is ours,s,
and 10 percent belongs to God,”      ,”
Matthews is quoted as saying. “We    e
always return . . . a faithful 10-per--
cent tithe, and it probably turnss
out to be more like 20 percent.”
   Eisenberg also stresses Loma      a
Linda Adventists’ frugality, as theyy
don’t spend on cigarettes and al--
cohol, avoid buying meat, often      n
grow their own vegetables, and eat  at
out at restaurants sparingly.

WHERE HEALTH AND                          IMITATING SEVENTH-DAY                   as a way of keeping mentally and
MONEY INTERSECT                           ADVENTISTS                              physically fitfit.
   Forbes mentions the intersec-             Eisenberg’s commendatory                “Working not only provides in-
tion between health and money             piece calls readers to take note        come; it helps you stay mentally
as seen in Loma Linda Adventists.         and catch on to some of the Loma        engaged, and that’s good for your
Diet and exercise, the article ex-        Linda Seventh-day Adventists’ hab-      health,” Eisenberg quotes 86-year-
plains, can help keep health-care         its for healthy living and money        old Loma Linda resident Bob Bass
costs down.                               management.                             as saying.
   The story also stresses the role          It starts, he stressed, with tak-       It is an industriousness, Eisen-
of Bible study groups and friend-         ing care of one’s health. According     berg writes, that includes a needed
ship circles among Loma Linda             to Eisenberg, it is something that      day of rest, as Loma Linda Adven-
Adventists, which, according to           not only can save thousands of          tists don’t work from sundown Fri-
Eisenberg, “help relieve money            dollars in health-care costs during     day through sundown Saturday.
concerns.”                                the retirement years but can also          Health-conscious living, focus
   “Loma Linda Adventists tend to         help one to be more intentional         on keeping and enlarging one’s
be cheery and sociable, which keeps       in financial planning.                   social network, careful investment
their stress levels down and, in turn,       “Because the older people in         planning, and making the most of
their health costs,” writes Eisen-        Loma Linda expect to live long lives,   government initiatives for seniors
berg. He quotes 94-year-old resi-         they plan intentional ways to live      can go a long way to helping peo-
dent Leland Juhl, who said, “Stress       them out well and not run out of        ple thrive in their senior years,
is definitely a killer; with prayer        money,” Eisenberg wrote.                Eisenberg believes. Those are things
and turning things over to the Lord,         He also calls for readers to im-     that “could help people make their
there’s less stress.”                     itate Adventists’ industriousness       money last anywhere,” he said.

                                                                                            JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   15
NEWS COMMENTARY

                                    WOULD YOU FLY ON A
                                    BOEING 737 MAX 8 AGAIN?
                                    THE EXPERIENCES OF THE ILL-FATED AIRCRAFT
                                    BRING SOME LIFE LESSONS FOR THE REST OF US.
                                    BY DWIGHT NELSON

                                    W  ould you fly on a Boeing
                                       737 Max 8 today? Given
                              the recent deadly 737 Max 8
                                                                    It was grounded soon after the Garden of Eden,
                                                                 because the rebel angel with the fallen heart tricked
                                                                 humans into joining his civil war against God’s throne.
                              crashes and the subsequent         The Creator had no choice but to ground the fledg-
                              global grounding of all of Boe-    ling race. Grounded until an emergency plan (shaped
                              ing’s 737 Max fleet, you can un-    in eternity past—Rev. 13:8) could save the ill-fated
                              derstand why passengers have       planet. “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the
                              been rethinking their travel       sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Only then would they
                              plans—to the point that South-     ever fly again.
     west Airlines, which flies only Boeing 737s, reported           Life Lesson Number 3: How quickly life’s fortunes
     recent declining ticket sales.                              and future can change! Not just for the 346 victims
        (To answer my own question: sure, I’d fly a 737 Max       of the two crashes, but for every family member-
     8 today. Because there isn’t a 737 pilot alive who isn’t    spouse, parent, child, friend, loved oneand the web
     now thoroughly updated and practiced on the pre-            of lives that spreads away from this disaster. As the
     cise safety measures to be taken should the plane           result of one split and tragic second, life will never,
     “go erratic” again. In fact, this is probably the safest    can never, be the same again. Why, even for a proud
     time ever to be a passenger on one of those 737 Max         and mighty corporation that controls much of the
     planes. But that’s just me.)                                airspace above our planet, even for Boeing, how the
        Naturally, the immense human tragedy of 346 deaths       fortunes have instantly altered—“riding high in April,
     from these two crashes rightfully overshadows all           shot down in May” as the old song crooned.
     the chatter about the aircraft’s future. But could it          It’s a somber life lesson for our civilization, caught
     be that in the unfolding story of the ill-fated 737 Max     in the frenzied mix of life and work and play and
     8 there are life lessons for the rest of us?                pleasure and the unceasing quest to accumulate
        Life Lesson 1: One very small malfunction is still a     more and more when we need less and less. Crazy
     very big deal. The faulty sensor, which mistakenly re-      sad, really. Because just when we think earth, at last,
     ported the planes were climbing into stall speed (when      has its act together, what does the Bible predict?
     in fact they weren’t) and thus automatically sought to      “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates
     correct the stall by repeatedly pushing the aircraft        we do not need to write to you, for you know very
     nose downward, is a tiny piece of technology. But how       well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in
     devastating its misguided response! One “tiny” sin,         the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’
     harbored in a single angelic heart, crashed an entire       destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor
     universe into “civil war” (see Eze. 28:15-17). The even-    pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not [Greek
     tual death toll is beyond emotional calculation! Even       double negative, “no not”] escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3).
     so, one “tiny” personal sin (one habit, one indulgence         Wasn’t that Jesus’ sobering point? As the days of
     unresisted) can bring down an entire life and lifetime.     Noah, so the end of the world will be: people “eating
     We all know the sad truth. Personally.                      and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” until
        Life Lesson 2: Sometimes the Creator has to ground       the very last day when the heavens and earth ex-
     His creation while a remedy is sought. Boeing had no        ploded with water “and took them all away” (Matt.
     choice, given the global outcry against its 737 Max 8       24:36-39). Only a handful saved? God help us!
     aircraft. Everybody on the planet—laypersons and spe-          But that’s good news. He promises: ”For I am the
     cialists alike—could tell something was dreadfully          Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and
     wrong with its newly released 737 Max model. So until       says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (Isa. 41:13).
     the plane’s maker designs a “fix” for the problem, the       Wow! Divine help for every life lesson. Divine Helper
     aircraft meant to spend its days and nights in the heav-    for every day and night until, grounded no longer,
     ens is grounded. Just like the human race these days.       we will fly with Him forever and ever. Amen.

16   ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019                                                                    ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
NEWSBRIEFS

             NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAM DESIGNED TO BOOST KNOWLEDGE ABOUT
             ELLEN G. WHITE. A new academic program sponsored by the General Conference of
             Seventh-day Adventists is expected to boost knowledge and expertise about the life
             and work of Ellen G. White. The Ellen G. White and Adventist Studies postgraduate
             certificate is a joint effort between the Ellen G. White Estate and Andrews University.
             Tuition will be free to students. World church administrative regions, or divisions, will
             recommend their students and cover travel and related expenses.

             COLOMBIAN ADVENTISTS RAISE FUNDS TO SUPPORT VENEZUELAN
             MIGRANTS. Eager to assist the thousands of Venezuelans coming into Colombia,
             several Seventh-day Adventist churches in Rionegro, in the state of Antioquia, northern
             Colombia, hosted a special dinner with local business owners and politicians to raise
             funds to assist migrants needing medical attention and meals. More than 75 guests
             recently crowded into the El Porton Llanero restaurant to enjoy a musical program,
             Venezuelan dishes, and an opportunity to assist thousands in need.

             IN CYPRUS, YOUNG AND OLD LEARN HOW TO SHARE THEIR FAITH THROUGH
             SOCIAL MEDIA. Adventists in Nicosia, Cyprus, recently came together to discuss the
             theology and practical skills of using social media for mission. More than 95 percent of
             the population in Cyprus has access to the Internet, and 65 percent make active use of
             social media. With approximately 200 Adventist Church members on the island of 1.2
             million people, program participants recognized the need to be active and to increase the
             profile of the church using their personal social media access to share their faith.

             U.S. SUPREME COURT ASKS GOVERNMENT TO EXPRESS VIEW ON CHURCH
             MEMBER’S CASE. The Unites States Supreme Court has asked the U.S. government to
             file a brief concerning the case of Darrell Patterson, an Adventist who was fired by
             Walgreens in 2011 because he refused to work at a call center on Saturday. This
             relatively rare request is made when the justices think the government, which is
             responsible for enforcing the law, can help inform its decision. If the Supreme Court
             decides to hear the case, it likely will be argued in early 2020.

             ADVENTIST HOUSE FOR HOMELESS WOMEN IN GERMANY TURNING 25. The
             Overnight House for Homeless Women in Leipzig is celebrating 25 years of service. The
             home is sponsored by Advent-Wohlfahrtswerk (AWW), the social work arm of the
             Adventist Church in Germany. Work for those who are homeless in East Germany began
             after reunification. Previously, the official position had been that there were no
             homeless in East Germany. The home is a place for emergency overnight stays, with 24
             beds. In 25 years it has served nearly 2,000 women.

             NEW ENDOWMENT AIMS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY IN
             JORDAN. Archaeological excavations in the Middle East have long suffered from looting
             and damage, and expeditions have a track record of leaving significant holes and land
             disfigurements in their wake. The new Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology
             Endowment, established at the American Schools of Oriental Research, based in Boston,
             Massachusetts, seeks to prevent damage to excavation sites in the Middle East and spur
             local ownership of cultural heritage, while creating economic opportunities.

             ADVENTIST CHURCH SPONSORS EARTH DAY SUMMIT. More than 1,000
             attended a first-ever Seventh-day Adventist Church-sponsored Earth Day Summit in
             Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 21, 2019. Organizers sought to add a biblical perspective
             to this often secular celebration by emphasizing biblically sound stewardship
             strategies addressing the negative effects of climate change. Attendees heard from
             experts in a variety of areas of scientific pursuit, including physics, archaeology,
             marine biology, forestry, immunology, toxicology, ornithology, and epidemiology.

                                                                           JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   17
he church was humming along nicely. There

CAMP T
                                               were regular meetings; organization and
                                               structure; challenges discussed and met.
                                               All in all, the five-year old Seventh-day
                                               Adventist denomination was doing well.
                                           The General Conference session of 1868 opened

MEETING
                                        May 12 in Battle Creek, Michigan. Thirteen delegates
                                        were in attendance along with Ellen White, M. G.
                                        Kellogg, and A. W. Smith. The expected work of the
                                        session moved forward. J. H. Waggoner, a delegate,
                                        reported, “The business sessions throughout were
                                        largely attended, and characterized by a spirit of
A time of                               union and an earnest desire to advance the cause.
spiritual                               Perhaps we have never held a conference where
                                        more perfect harmony prevailed. In this we have a
feasting                                complete vindication of our organization.”1
                                           Waggoner spoke of the meetings being largely
                                        attended, an interesting description for a meeting
                                        of fewer than 20 delegates. James White, two
                                        months later, revealed a different perspective of
MERLE POIRIER                           the same meetings.2

18   ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019
“This is not a good time for a general gathering       intended to be a spiritual convocation. So when
ILLUSTRATION COPYRIGHT © 1925 REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, ARTIST TK MARTIN

                                                                                           of our brethren and sisters to enjoy a spiritual feast.   their fellow church members arrived in Battle
                                                                                           Not understanding this, many have come to our             Creek, for a meeting to which they were not
                                                                                           annual conferences, spent a week’s time, and gone         invited, the crowds were challenging to care for
                                                                                           home disappointed. They had no special interest           and distracting to the business at hand, and their
                                                                                           in the business sessions, thought they occupied too       expectations for coming not met. While Waggoner
                                                                                           much time, and concluded that their brethren were         spoke of “harmony,” James White saw challenging
                                                                                           becoming formal and backslidden. In this they were        logistics and misunderstood leadership. While his
                                                                                           mistaken. Meetings for transaction of business are        words may have come across as a bit intense and
                                                                                           necessary and right. Let those attend our annual          direct, he did present a potential solution.
                                                                                           meeting who have a part to act in them; and let              “A general Convocation [sic], free from business
                                                                                           those who have no special part to act in our general      sessions, where ministers and people could
                                                                                           assemblies for the transaction of business remain         devote their entire time and energies to the spir-
                                                                                           at home, instead of bringing their wives and chil-        itual interests of the assembly, would exactly
                                                                                           dren to such assemblies to burden the church that         meet the wants of the cause.”4 White went on to
                                                                                           entertains them, for nearly or quite a week, they,        propose the idea of a general “campmeeting” that
                                                                                           meanwhile looking on, and getting tempted because         would be held in a large tent with smaller tents
                                                                                           there are no more religious exercises.”3                  to accommodate those who wished to stay. He
                                                                                              Fairly strong language from Brother White!             suggested that a town in Michigan be considered,
                                                                                           But his intent was clear. The General Conference          near a railroad line, and even proposed the
                                                                                           session was a time to do business. It was never           following month of August as a date although

                                                                                                                                                                             JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW   19
recognizing it didn’t give much time for planning.
   The idea was favorably received. It was
announced that a camp meeting would be held at
Wright, Michigan, August 26-31. Later the date
was moved to September 1-7 to give more time to
                                                              CAMP
                                                              SSTILL
                                                                TILL HHERE
                                                                             MEETING
                                                                       ERE AAFTER
                                                                             FTER 1150
                                                                                    50 YYEARS
                                                                                         EARS
plan. Whether this is actually the first Seventh-day           What is it about this Adventist tradition
Adventist camp meeting is cause for debate, but               that keeps people attending each year?
it certainly appears to have been the answer to a
                                                              IVAN L. WILLIAMS, SR.
problem that arose as a result of a growing church.
   To hold a camp meeting was not new. Other
denominations, including the Millerites, had done             F   rom the very first camp meeting of the Sev-
                                                                  enth-day Adventist Church, held in 1868 on
                                                              the farm of E. H. Root in Wright, Michigan,1 to the
so decades earlier. What appears to be new for the
                                                              111 camp meetings held in the North American
Adventists at this time was to separate the formal
                                                              Division (NAD) in 2018, the benefits of these
business meetings of the church from meetings
                                                              gatherings are still countless.
that would focus simply on “spiritual feasting.”
                                                                 Having preached at many camp meetings
Camp meetings would allow people to come away
                                                              the past few years, I am encouraged—and
from their everyday lives, fellowship with like
                                                              amazed—by the many members who attend.
believers, listen to dynamic preaching, and
                                                              What attracts church members to drive for
encourage one another.
                                                              miles with tent or camper, stay in on-site cabins
   In fact, the leaders expressed high expectations
                                                              or off-site motels, bring food for picnics, and
of this particular camp meeting.
                                                              bear the dusty, hot summer heat to attend
   “This meeting has not been appointed for the
                                                              camp meeting? Most campgrounds are in
purpose of spending a few days in recreation and
                                                              remote, rural places in conference territories.
vanity. Nor has it been appointed as a novelty, for
                                                              Most of our members live in urban places. Why
the purpose of calling out the idle and the curious
                                                              do we keep holding camp meetings? Why do
who might not otherwise be reached. Nor do we by
                                                              urbanites keep returning?
this means merely seek to gather a large concourse
                                                                 Here are five of my observations about camp
of people, that we may thereby make a display of
                                                              meeting, and why Adventists still attend.
our strength. We have a very different object in view.
   “We desire to call out as many of our brethren,
both preachers and people, as we can, and also as             IT SOLIDIFIES BIBLICAL FAITH.
many of our unconverted fellowmen as we may                      From Palau to Bermuda, from Alaska to New-
be able to interest in this meeting, that we may              foundland to Florida, and everywhere in
do them good. We want all who shall come to this              between, Adventists in the NAD still have the
meeting to come for the purpose of seeking God.               hope that Jesus is coming again soon. That hope
We want our brethren to come for the purpose of               is forged the stronger and solidified the more
seeking a new conversion. We want our preachers               when we come together to open God’s Word and
to set them in this an example worthy of imitation.           are reminded that this world is not our home.
We desire also to see many of our fellowmen who
have no interest in Christ, or at least no knowledge
of the present truth, converted to the Lord, and         fire. And the first “Adventist Book Center,” con-
rejoicing in the light of His truth.”5                   structed from three wooden planks, sold more
   More than 300 people camped throughout the            than $600 in literature (equivalent to more than
week in 22 tents provided by various churches. Some      $10,000 today). Each night as the people retired
of the outdoor services attracted more than 2,000        to their tents, J. N. Andrews, then General Confer-
attendees (some report up to 3,000). James and Ellen     ence president, walked up and down the tent rows
White and J. N. Andrews preached the main sermons,       asking, “Are you all comfortable for the night?”6
while other ministers offered encouragement.                The camp meeting was so successful that two
   As electricity had yet to be invented, torches        more were planned, one for September in Wis-
were placed at nightfall strategically throughout        consin, and another in October for Iowa. This
the camp. Common meals were shared around a              became the beginning of a long tradition. Even as

20   ADVENTIST REVIEW   |   JUNE 2019                                                          ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
Faith in God is renewed at camp meeting and, as                                          in these situations, it is an annual occurrence of focus
quiet as it’s kept, it is a great place to deal with, or                                   and intentionality.
combat, errant theology. Ellen White wrote that camp
meetings were “to promote spiritual life among our                                         THE LORD BLESSES ABUNDANTLY
own people. . . . We need to meet together and receive                                       It’s true that we get what we desire or expect from
the divine touch.”2 Camp meetings keep us spiritually                                      camp meeting. But one thing is certain: the Lord
focused. They also give us an annual, corporate, and                                       blesses human efforts on these dusty grounds.
personal renewed-faith possibility.                                                          I often hear such statements as “I’ve been attending

DAY-TO-DAY LIVING IS ENCOURAGED

                                             COURTESY OF THE NORTH PACIFIC UNION GLEANER
THROUGH FELLOWSHIP.
  This annual gathering encourages
cross pollination with like-minded
believers from many congregations.
Whether in cities or in rural towns and
neighborhoods, our fellowship helps us
relate to each other’s common struggles
and victories.
   Fellowship is like iron sharpening iron
(see Prov. 27:17). It was huge in the early
church as those early believers broke bread together                                       camp meeting for 32 years” or “I’ll never miss camp
and prayed (see Acts 2:42). Isn’t it just as important                                     meeting again” or “I was baptized at camp meeting.”
today?                                                                                     I know the Spirit of the living God accompanies our
                                                                                           human frailty in a meeting that’s been around a cen-
IT HELPS KEEP OUR FOCUS ON MISSION                                                         tury and a half.
   Camp meetings done well require significant time,                                           What spiritual benefit have you discovered at camp
energy, and financial resources. The investment con-                                        meeting? What urbanite friend could you invite to
ferences give to camp meeting yields significant spir-                                      attend with you to experience the concentrated expo-
itual optimism, evangelistic momentum, and mission                                         sure to nature while listening to practical seminars
feedback, the effects of which can be felt throughout                                      and powerful preaching? I invite you to experience at
the subsequent year. When conference churches and                                          camp meeting the refreshing outpouring of God’s
constituencies join together, newfound stories and                                         Spirit on your life.
experiences are shared and mission is solidified.                                             1
                                                                                               Arthur W. Spalding, Origin and History of Seventh-day Adventists
                                                                                           (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1962), vol. 2, p. 10.
                                                                                             2
                                                                                               Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, Calif.:
MOST CHURCH MEMBERS ATTEND ON WEEKENDS                                                     Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948), vol. 6, p. 32.
  Camp meeting attendance is largest on the week-
                                                                                           Ivan L. Williams, Sr., is director of the Ministerial Association for
ends. Because of this, some conferences conduct only                                       the North American Division. This article is adapted from one
weekend seminars and preaching services. But even                                          that appeared on the website NADAdventist.org in February 2019.

you read this article, somewhere in the world an                                           stirring exhortation, and often the falling tear—
Adventist camp meeting is being planned, held,                                             scenes in which faith and love flame up anew.”7
or attended. James White’s solution continues to                                             1
                                                                                              J. H. Waggoner, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 26, 1868.
                                                                                             2
                                                                                              James White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, July 14, 1868.
be a beloved and cherished part of the Seventh-day                                          3
                                                                                              Ibid.
Adventist Church. Whether it be a full 10-day                                               4
                                                                                              Ibid.
meeting of tents and trailers or a one-day convo-                                           5
                                                                                              General Conference Committee, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,
                                                                                           August 18, 1868.
cation in an un-air-conditioned gymnasium, hope-                                             6
                                                                                               Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White, The Progressive Years, 1862-1876
fully the results are still as a meeting once                                              (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1986), vol. 2, p. 249.
described by editor Uriah Smith: “characterized                                              7
                                                                                               Uriah Smith, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 23, 1865.

by spirited and soul-cheering testimonies, the                                             Merle Poirier is operations manager for Adventist Review
beaming eye, the voice of praise, the earnest and                                          Ministries.

                                                                                                                               JUNE 2019   |   ADVENTIST REVIEW      21
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