Into New Year with hope, with Christ

In a couple of days we will enter 2013.  I still remember the Y2K scare.  I often hear stories of our older generation how their parents uncared for education or career advancements because they believed that Lord Jesus would soon come.  Among early Adventists no one would think about 2013!   Apostle Paul wrote to Romans 13:11-12 “for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand.”  Do we still believe so?  Notice what the Apostle tells believers to do (verses 10-11) “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep.”  In light of the coming salvation believers were to do practical love to those around them, acts of care, service, kindness.  In loving people we fulfil God’s Law!  The danger was in becoming self-absorbed, self-caring.

Today I intend to preach an unusual sermon, looking at the Biblical revelation of God Who risks to partner up with people in making the future.  God Who is Faithful and not controlling.  God who has the overarching plan but does not orchestrate minute details, giving humanity the freedom of choice. God who could have walked Israel into the Promise Land in a year, but because of their disbelief, permitted them to wonder another 40 years, maturing them in the process.  God who could have ended the evil long ago, yet because of Love and Freedom, He is suffering long, putting up with pain of seeing his creation groaning.

Let’s not assume the delay, for no one knows the day or the hour.  The parable Jesus left us warns that it is the “evil servant who says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,'” (Matthew 24:48).  

Many, especially older generation, have a feeling that “I should have been home yesterday.”  Poet Maya Angelou says the ache for home lives in all of us.  Biblically speaking, it’s the call of Eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  Are you homesick for heaven?  We may sing this world is not my home, but how do you feel?  What are your most sincere prayers about?  Are you wishing for the Lord to come in 2013?  What will you be praying for?  How will your desire to be with Jesus affect your life?  What will change in 2013 that would bring you closer to the Lord Jesus’ Coming?

Season of Advent

This is the final weekend of liturgical season called Advent.  Our name “Adventist” is derived from this root.  What does it mean to us?

Yesterday, December 21, 2012, many expected “the end of the world.”  Some say that as many as 12% of USA population expected that something would happen.  We may laugh at the silliness of believing in such superstitious predictions.  But, just remember the great Disappointment of 1844, when faithful believers were expecting the end of the world.  To them, Millerite followers, it meant the return of Jesus in Glory.  A friend of minie posted on the FB “we should be more sympathetic with folk thinking the world will end ...considering our “Great Disappointment.”  Hmmmm.  You have not thought it that way?  Have you?

BBC reported the day before 21/12/12 that Seventh-day Adventists predicted the end of the world in 1874.  Someone should have called in with correction “not us, the Jehovah’s Witnesses!”  But, let’s face it (and I am quoting now Walla Walla University pastor Alex Bryant) “Adventism was not born as a reform movement, or as a temperance movement, not as a theological innovation, not because of a unique private prophetic revelation.  Adventism was born out of a wrong calculation about the Second Coming of Christ, fueled by an intense, emotional, highly personal, fervent desire to be with Jesus.”

We had survived yet another failed prediction.  Are you settled that the world will go on...and on...and on.  Or are you still looking for the Day of the Lord, when the desire of all ages will be fulfilled, as Jesus will come in Glory, one day, to end the world as we know it?

This year we did not do an evangelistic series, not wanting to manipulate peoples’ fears of 21/12/12.  The world did not end.  Will you continue sharing your faith, and telling your friends that things will not always be like they are?

This Advent season let us remember the reason – Jesus came the first time to let people know Who God is, to remind people that we belong to Him, and that we are invited to the New World.  To celebrate Christmas is to remember that it was a historical confirmation that this world will end, even elements will dissolve.  And then Christ will create the New Heaven, the New Earth without end. 

Do you know Jesus?  Not the decorative babe in the manger, but the Soon Coming King of the Universe?

your servant, pastor Alex Golovenko

Being relevant to our city this season

Last week offering was collected for the Inner City ministry.  I personally felt that we did not do due emphasis to the importance of what took place.  Today poverty is a reality for 1 in 11 Canadians. Poverty means – hunger, interrupted schooling, unemployment, substandard housing, or even homelessness, lack of opportunities, and finally – hopelessness.

This week our Community Ministry team served food hampers, distributed clothing, offered smiles to people who are underprivileged in our community.  By personal donations of committed people we support school breakfast program in Glen Cairn elementary and Trafalgar Road Secondary schools with annual donations of $500 and $1000 respectively.

But much more needs to be done to alleviate hurt and give hope in our community.  There are children uprooted from their homes, women in shelters, homeless in night-over shelters.  This year we would like to step out in faith and do more.  London is seeing an increase in homelessness.   A recent article in the London Free Press alarmed readers about a 74-year old Marlene Barnes living in her van at a parking lot.  Her pension is not enough to rent an apartment.  Christian Community Network of London (CCNL) is informing churches that the downtown churches are experiencing increased need for meals offered to homeless.  The unofficial word on the street is that nearly 3500 people in London need shelter and food daily!

During the holiday seasons people will spend time with families, and volunteers are lacking at essential places that give hope. This year we will take 12 volunteers to feed homeless and people in need at the Ark Aid Street Mission, 696 Dundas Street East. The sign-up sheet is in the foyer.  If the Spirit moves your heart to give 3 hours on your New Years eve to serve, let us know.  This is just a beginning of the new direction for the outreach we will do in 2013.

Well known words from the Ministry of Healing page 143 describe the best Method of outreach: “Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, "Follow Me."

Notice the following paragraph: “There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice.”

May it be your guiding principle this season, and in the year to come, serving to relieve needs of people near and far.

Celebrating Potential we have in our Church: NO to etnic divides!

Last week we celebrated Cultural Diversity in our church.  It was truly inspiring to see the potential for cross-cultural ministry we have in our congregation.   I call the Church “The University of Diversity!”  It’s the place designed by god where we call come together, to learn about our differences, to celebrate variety of colors, taste, sounds, shapes, to be enriched by others.  God has designed the Body, so all different parts would be together making it work well.  Apostle Paul’s illustration to the church in Corinth says the whole body cannot be an eye, or an ear.  It is human tendency to segregate, to cling to the similar, to produce exaggerated single body parts, instead of the Body. 

The current reality of many churches sadly represents this trend, where churches divide not even because of linguistics, but because of ethnic preferences.  Philippino, Ghanaian, Ukrainian, etc – not far from here, in Toronto, where Adventist population is large enough to afford existence of independent monocultural churches this trend is considered as “contributing to the church growth.”  After all, additional Pilipino churches are opening up, additional Zimbabwean companies are springing up.  As if Kenyan worshipping with Kenyan produces better worship, than if a Jamaican comes in.  Among Caribbean churches there is also a divide, where majority of membership comes from a certain island in a particular church.

At the recent Evangelism Council at Alabama (we endured 30 hours in total on the bus with Sandra J, but it was worth it!) a panel discussion took place on a question “The Afro-American vs West Indian divide: real, imaginary or exaggerated?”  From the onset the panel answered “yes, it is real.”  A Seminar was also given on the topic of Cross cultural evangelism.  It was interesting to see facts and hear stories examining reasons for such “divides.” 

After the segregation of the 1960s there was a phenomenon described in 1970s as a “white flight,” where formerly white churches were becoming black.  Where did whites go?  The initial assumption was racist, suggesting that whites left city churches and moved to suburbs to establish their own white churches.  A few decades later demographists began to talk about Afro-American flight, where churches formerly Afro-American were becoming Caribbean, with immigrants from Jamaica “taking over.”  In some regional conferences (North Eastern) 95% of membership is from Caribbean.  Today pastors are talking about “Caribbean flight”!  In England formerly white churches, that became Caribbean, today are 85% Zimbabwean-South African.  In California Afro-American churches are becoming “drive in” congregations amidst Hispanic population, which are coming in and “taking over.”  You get the picture: we are facing the fact that the issue is more cultural than racial.

Why am I writing this on the Communion Sabbath?  Here in London (South) we celebrate our variety.  We see potential for impacting the city for God through our multicultural connections.  Are we using the opportunity?  Are we making friends across cultures here?  Imagine this scenario:  families from certain cultures living in London travel every Sabbath to Toronto to join their ethnic group for a couple of hours of “worship,” and then return home totally disconnected from the local community of faith.  How much mission is done? Will their neighbours be invited to join them one day for “worship”?  What does it say about our desire to be in heaven together?  Will there be segregated gated communities?

As we move into the New Year, dream for the church that would mirror the city, a house of prayer which would include all nations, all cultures, all people!

Celebrating Cultural Diversity of our Church

For the past eight years we had celebrated cultural diversity of our congregation. Today as we enjoy sights of different country flags being brought into the sanctuary, tastes of food from various places, sounds of praise in diverse languages we ought to also reflect on our duty to further the Gospel Mission.

Earlier this week news networks reported on the census from Jamaica where the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the largest religious denomination. A total of 322,228 individuals or 12 percent of the total population are reported to be Adventists. The second largest category is “Pentecostal” with 295,195 represents a cluster of denominations and independent congregations, as does the third largest category “Churches of God” at 246,838.  Jamaica is part of the Inter-American Division with the largest membership – 3.5 million.  Adventist education plays very important role in church growth in this region.  Today we see people from Caribbean and Central American countries leading the flag procession.

Second largest church is in South Africa.  Adventist churches in Africa were reorganized in 2003 because of the rapid growth.  South Africa region has 3 million Adventists, followed by the East-Central Africa with 2.8 million believers.

The fourth largest church is in South America, with Brazil leading the work.  Over 2 million Adventists worship there. 

Southern Asia, mainly India, has 1.5 million members.  However given the large population of the territory, the saturation ration is much lower than in above mentioned regions.  North American Adventist is sharing 6^th & 7^th place my membership with South-Asia Pacific (Philippines & Indonesia) with about 1.2 million.  However, the North American church still sends most missionaries, and provides substantial financial funding for the world mission.

West Africa has only 900,000 believers with Ghana being the main centre.  Muslim population in many countries is impeding the growth of mission.  And Adventist influence is not as felt as in Eastern and Southern African countries.

North Asia Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia) are growing rapidly, with 700,000 Adventists present.  Chinese believers meet at homes and many churches are led by women.

Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands are 10^th out of 13 world Divisions by membership, with about half a million believers.  The largest segment of church, 60% are living in Papua New Guinea.

Three world divisions operate in Europe. They were reorganized this year in October.  Largest with 200,000 believers, Inter-Europe includes Western & Southern countries, Mediterranean basin.  Euro-Asia with 150,000 members covers the territory of former Soviet Union and Afghanistan.  Trans-Europe is the smallest division, with 80,000 members, covering the Scandinavia, British Isles, Balkans & Baltic.

A new development took place this year at the annual session – a Mission Field unit was created, called MENA – Middle East & North Africa, where less than 4,000 Adventists are present among a half a billion population.  This region is predominantly Muslim and the work of the Gospel is dangerous.  Our local diversity in London is a tool for mission, as we connect people from all around the world and influence our neighbours, some from un-entered or under-represented regions. Majority of Adventist church today comes from the southern hemisphere, from tropics.  Adventist majority today is not White Anglo-Saxon, nor European. It’s time for mission responsibility to turn.