Rights & Wrongs VS Rights & Lefts

As Christians we must follow God and God alone. So often in our Christian experience we are asked to take sides. In human situations the choice we are often offered is between one person and another - or one ideology or another. God does not ask us to judge between people. In fact he commands, "Judge not, lest you be judged!"

God does ask, however, that we focus narrowly on the His Character as revealed through his Son Jesus and through the Law - which serves as a written transcript of His Character. Following God's will is not always easy. So many things get in the way! Our view of God's leading is often obscured by some earthy commitment or human allegiance that we have formed. Often we think we are doing God's will when we are really just fighting for the Right or Left in some human cause.

As you explore the challenge of seeing life through God's eyes and living as God's representative, you truly may be the only Jesus many people will ever see. The World is watching. The Church is watching. Our God is watching. Let us make sure that we are watching Him and following His Will alone!

Go Therefore (to school) making disciples, baptising and teaching…

From The Tassie Conference Office

On December 17 the evangelistic focus at Hilliard Christian School in Hobart Tasmania will result in 15 student baptisms! Working together with his teachers, chaplains and students, Hilliard principle Bev Norman has created a soul winning environment that inspires involvement and empowers evangelism.

After a year of testing a different approach, the staff at Hilliard decided to try a bold plan. Students in the high school were divided into four groups of spiritual interest – ranging from those who were not interested to those who were passionate about spiritual maturity. Each group was assigned a teacher who felt spiritually drawn to this type of student. These four groups have met daily all year for the first 30 minutes of each day. This equates to 2.5 hours of small group Bible study each week!

After the first term another study group was offered to them. They were offered a spiritual development track leading to Baptism taught by high school chaplain, Pr David Edgren. This met every Thursday, in term 2 and 3, during the small group time. Those interested (about 30 kids) left their regular groups to meet with Pr Dave. The result of this strategic plan of daily small group time and focused study with their School Chaplain led to over a quarter of the high school students asking to be baptised!

The integrated nature of the Adventist schools and churches in Hobart had a large role to play in this amazing success. Glenorchy Church Pastor, Pr Alfredo Campos, also serves as the primary school chaplain at Hilliard. Pr Dave and Pr Alfredo see the school as their primary evangelistic field. They caught the vision cast by Bev Norman at the beginning of the year and have been integrating school kids into church life as much as possible. According to Pr Dave, “The role of the School Chaplain is to lead students to Christ and into a healthy relationship with Christ’s body – His church!”

Glenorchy Church leadership has taken ministry for the school aged kids very seriously. As part of their strategy to integrate the students into church life they took ownership of the Hobart area Pathfinder’s club. The December baptisms are a result of all entities working together – school, church, pathfinders, conference youth department, and personal relationships. The December 17 Sabbath of celebration and baptisms will be held at Glenorchy church and baptisms will be performed by the chaplains (Pr Alfredo & Pr Dave) and Tassie’s Youth Director Pr Tharren Hutchinson.

Write now!

Next year I will be making a major shift. I'll also be doing my fair share of spacing and returns as well... (ok, enough writing puns!)

I have been preaching the Word since I was a boy. But, along side the preaching I have always had a love for and an involvement in writing. I have written numerous articles on spiritual issues over the years and have had a column in The Edge for the last three years.

In year 12 I was the editor of my school paper. Now... Some 15 years later... I have been asked to return that role. This time as the Senior Assistant Editor at the Signs Publishing Company for the South Pacific Division. I am quite excited!

For the last seven years of ministry I have been a speaker primarily and a writer secondarily. I am looking forward to switching the focus and developing my writing skills. I am looking forward to serving on the team at the Signs.

I will be finishing my service in Tassie by attending Camp and running The Journey tent for its second year. Then, in February, I will start my role at the Signs.

God is Good!

Ever needed a sign like this at your church?

The NEW Church - Manifesto

I'm currently in the process of writing a book called "The NEW Church" that is based on a church health model that I have developed.
The NEW Church has been designed to aid the lay leader in having a memorable and holistic way to plan and alalyse their ministry.

NEW stands for:
Nurture
Evangelism
Worship

I have developed The NEW Church out of the need I have felt in my ministry to have a memory device that everyone can remember.

Have a look at my "NEW Church Manifesto"...

Pr Dave Edgren
"Growing people toward their purpose in Christ."

Cyrus' First Story - The Trip

Cyrus - my oldest son - is in 1st grade and has started his first book.

Here it is thus far...

THE TRIP
by Cyrus

Chapter 1
I was on a trip to Australia. I was at the cockpit. I noticed a flashing light and it said 'emeregency.' I ran and got a life jacket and I jumped.

Chapter 2
I found myself in the sea and my only supply was a rubber band and a sandwich. I saw the plane crash up ahead.

Troubled Waters

This morning for my P & Q time (Prayer and Quiet) I sat on a rock at Sandy Bay and watched a sea urchin in the shallows. It was a perfectly windless morning and the water sat still.

Slowly some ripples began to trouble the little urchin. I looked out on the bay and saw a large fishing trawler chugging along. The ripples then made sense.

A few minutes later the waters had calmed. The urchin sat peacefully again basking in the sunlit water. Then everything went absolutely berzerk for the little red urchin. These were waves, not ripples. I looked back into the bay to see what could be generating such a massive disturbance. There, alone in the middle of the bay, rowed a single kayak.

How could it be? How could the ripples at the time of a fishing trawler and the waves at the time of a kayak be explained? It took me a few moments to realise the answer. Something had passed before the trawler. Some small motored watercraft that I hadn't noticed out on the bay. Then the trawler had come. Then the kayak. The ripples were the result of the first unnoticed boat. They just took awhile to reach my little urchin friend.

The trawler had caused waves. Big ones. But he was long gone by the time the urchin knew anything about it. And the kayaker? Well, had I been a quick acting conservationist... The kayaker would be on trial for upsetting the waters.