Families of theater victims plan public statement

Updated: Tuesday, 28 Aug 2012, 2:09 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 28 Aug 2012, 1:03 AM EDT


DENVER (AP) — Relatives of some of the people killed in the Colorado movie theater shootings plan to speak publicly Tuesday about unspecified events that they say need to be addressed.

They have scheduled a news conference to discuss behind-the-scenes developments and will "speak with one voice" for the benefit of all the victims, they said in a news release.

The release did not elaborate on the events they plan to discuss. Anita Busch, a spokeswoman for the group, declined to comment on the topics.

Busch said she expects the families of most of the 12 people killed in the shootings to be represented.

A heavily armed gunman wearing body armor and a gas mask opened fire on July 20 in a packed theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora during a midnight showing of the latest Batman movie.

In addition to the 12 killed, 58 were injured.

Charges against the suspect, James Eagan Holmes, 24, include murder and attempted murder. He is being held without bail and has not entered a plea.

Holmes was a first-year Ph.D. student in a neuroscience program at the University of Colorado, Denver, but told university officials about six weeks before the shootings that he was withdrawing.

Prosecutors have said Holmes failed an oral board exam June 7, at about the same time he began buying weapons and ammunition.

Prosecutors are seeking the university's records on Holmes and also want to see a notebook that Holmes reportedly sent to university psychiatrist Lynne Fenton.

His defense lawyers have said he is mentally ill. They are fighting prosecution attempts to see his school records and the notebook.

Fenton is expected to testify at a hearing Thursday.

The families' announcement added to the sense of mystery that has surrounded the case since its early days.

Investigators, attorneys on both sides and the university have said little outside court hearings, citing a gag order imposed by Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester.

Many court documents have been kept secret as well.

Only a handful of family members of the slain victims have spoken publicly, and most of their comments came in the first few days after the shooting. A joint appearance by multiple families would be a first in the case.
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Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP


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Abuse advocacy group says little changed among Catholic church leaders

Posted: Jul 30, 2012 8:45 AM EDT

Updated: Jul 30, 2012 8:45 AM EDT

A group that advocates on behalf of victims of clergy abuse is urging the Catholic church to move beyond the "smoke and mirrors."

More than 200 survivors met in Chicago over the weekend at the annual conference of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP. The group says the church needs to "stop the abuse, expel the abusers, cooperate with the courts and support the victims.

SNAP director David Clohessy say Catholic officials have adopted a lot of policies, procedures and set up panels that amount to "a lot of smoke and mirrors." Clohessy says it's "ironic and tragic" that secular institutions and authorities are more likely to take actions against child abusers than are officials in the Vatican.

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Tennessee Man Jailed for Insisting on Using the Name “Seventh-day Adventist” Despite Court Order

Submitted: Jul 16, 2012

By AT News Team

Walter “Chick” McGill was arrested by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies Friday evening in Loma Linda. The charge was that he continues to defy a Federal court order to stop using the name of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for his small congregation.

McGill is pastor of the Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church in Guys, Tennessee. He believes that God has told him to use the name Seventh Day Adventist and that the Federal court is unconstitutionally taking away his religious rights. The General Conference (GC) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church often advocates the protection of religious rights, but in this case there is a conflicting interest. It does not want other organizations to steal the name of the denomination.

For decades the GC attorneys have worked on registering the name “Seventh-day Adventist” as a trademark and protecting the trademark. So far as Adventist Today has been able to determine, this is the first time that someone has been jailed for using the trademarked name without permission.

The Creation SDA Church is a small splinter group that adheres to a number of Fundamentalist doctrines which they believe are the original version of Adventist theology, such as opposition to the doctrine of the Trinity. Most historians agree that there were significant numbers of early Adventists who seemed to take a number of these positions, but they also point out that this was before there was any doctrinal statement officially adopted by the denomination and Adventist theology was still being hammered out.

The GC did not take any specific action to have McGill jailed, but it could ask the judge to have him freed. McGill was jailed because of contempt of court due to his refusal to follow a court order. The court order came as a result of a lawsuit filed by the GC to enforce its trademark and after a Federal judge examined the facts in the case.

“I don’t think this is really the Christ-like way to deal with these people,” one pastor told Adventist Today, on condition that he not be identified. “These people are wrong in what they believe and maybe not totally rational, but they are no threat to the denomination. We ought to have the maturity and grace to just ignore them.”

“It is simply a case of theft,” said an active lay member of the Adventist Church who is an attorney. “If you steal someone’s car or their good name, you can expect to go to jail. You would not tolerate identity theft if someone was using your name to open credit card accounts or make purchases. Why should the Church tolerate the misappropriation of its name?”

Seventh-day Adventists are generally not aware that there are a number of small denominations that use a version of the same name. This is much more common to Baptists, for example. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different denominations with some variation of “Baptist” in their name.

McGill believes sincerely that it is a matter of divine truth and spiritual authenticity. “God told us to use this name,” he says. Before he was arrested he told Adventist Today that if he were jailed, he will begin a hunger strike.

In a future print edition, Adventist Today will publish a full analysis of this case and the issues related to the use of trademark law to protect the denomination’s name.

"The morning after Adventist Today published the story above, the North American Division of the General Conference sent the following statement to Adventist Today:

"Recent news reports have addressed the trademark infringement claims between Mr. Walter McGill and the Seventh-day Adventist Church The following news release from the Seventh-day Adventist Church serves as an accurate account of the relationship between Mr. McGill and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

"According to church records, Walter McGill was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but left in the early 1990s citing reasons of doctrinal differences. He has never been a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. After leaving the Seventh-day Adventist Church, McGill began a new ministry utilizing the name “Seventh-day Adventist.” Prior to filing a claim in 2006, the Seventh-day Adventist Church attempted on multiple occasions to reach out to McGill asking him to cease and desist the usage of the name “Seventh-day Adventist.” These attempts were made because McGill’s ministry was not a part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

"After numerous attempts to resolve this matter amicably, the Seventh-day Adventist Church filed suit against McGill to stop using the name “Seventh-day Adventist.” As a part of the court process, the Court ordered mediation but McGill did not appear at any of the court ordered mediations. The Court warned McGill that his lack of participation in the mediations could result in sanctions. McGill continued to disregard and disobey the requests of the Court. During this time, McGill also ignored the District Court’s orders by placing and replacing signage on his church’s property containing the name “Seventh-day Adventist” as well as operating Web sites bearing the name “Seventh-day Adventist.” It was at that point McGill was found in contempt of violating the District Court’s orders.

"It is not now nor has it been the intention of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to shut down McGill’s ministry or for him to be jailed. Recent developments are the result of actions taken by the court because Mr. McGill did not comply with the court’s ruling.

"We believe that Mr. McGill has the right to exercise his religious beliefs and operate a ministry, however to falsely identify himself with an organization of which he is not a part, is not acceptable. This false association confuses the public, media and at times members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Seventh-­‐‑day Adventist Church has defined processes and procedures for establishing and maintaining congregations."

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Church, Congregations Increase Focus on "Spiritual Formation"

ANN Feature: Church, Congregations Increase Focus on "Spiritual Formation"

Feb. 03, 2004 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

Wendi Rogers/ANN

Roger Dudley.

Jane Thayer.

Spiritual formation is a topic being raised by many pastors and church leaders in a growing number of Christian denominations. It’s no longer enough to just know doctrine and facts—in today’s hectic society people are searching for something deeper and more meaningful, something that makes sense in their whirlwind lives.

For the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a “wake-up call” was sounded after a 2002 survey showed that though doctrinal understanding was high, there were several “areas of concern,” including low involvement in daily prayer and Bible study, active Christian witness to the community, and participation in community service (see ANN October 9, 2002).

These concerns can be linked to how the church rates in the area of spiritual formation, which has been defined by one Adventist Church pastor as “the process of becoming a mature Christian disciple of God.” Another person describes it as “whatever you do to specifically nourish your relationship with God.”

Today this subject is receiving serious emphasis in Adventist institutions, as well as in local congregations. Though the church doesn’t have an accredited educational program dealing with spiritual formation at any of its theological schools, it’s seeing this subject become more common in today’s modern, seeking world.

Spiritual formation is not a new idea or concept, and “a lot of Protestants are in the same boat—we are rediscovering it,” says Dr. Jon Dybdahl, president of Walla Walla College, an Adventist institution in Washington State. And, he adds, the Adventist Church has some work to do.

“Traditionally the Adventist Church has emphasized intellectual truth and accepting certain facts and ideas about God,” Dybdahl says. “At least in many places it has not talked so much about the importance of directly experiencing God. The difference is between knowing about God and knowing God. Sometimes what we teach people is knowing about God ... That’s part of the nature of things. It’s much easier to communicate a fact than it is to wield people to experience.”

Pastor Martin Feldbush, associate director for Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries whose work brings him in contact with leaders of several other denominations, says that the Adventist Church is not alone in its quest for deeper spiritual formation among members. “A lot of churches out there are struggling with the same issues as we are. We’re not in isolation as though there’s something wrong with us. I think churches particularly that are conservative in their orientation and take their mission very seriously, and I believe we should do all of that, may have a tendency to stress the ‘doing’ as opposed to the ‘being’ and the formation.”

But why is there a need for spiritual formation? If people are part of a religious organization, shouldn’t they already be at a certain level of spiritual formation?

John Jenson, pastor of the 150-member South Bay Adventist Church in Torrance, California, says, “There’s a need for spiritual formation with the [Adventist] Church because we have been so doctrinally oriented that people might be able to quote some or all of the 27 fundamental beliefs [of the church], and may have neglected having daily devotions that day or week or month.” He explains that there’s an overload of knowledge and information, but how to translate that into meaningful instruction and “marching orders” for daily living is key.

Jenson says that without spiritual formation, a person would be “spiritually uncivilized.” It “is the process by which they can go from being a spiritual infant to spiritual maturity ... developing the potential that God’s put within you.”

Dybdahl adds that people need to “Begin to recognize that knowledge without life experience can be dead. [They need to] recognize how crucial it is to people’s lives [and] how much the younger generation values experience.”

Dr. Jane Thayer, assistant professor of Religious Education and coordinator of the Religious Education Program at Andrews University, adds, “We have a big blank when it comes to taking care of people once they have accepted the Lord ... I think what people need to know is ‘how do you live the life.’ Spiritual formation or discipleship needs to show how you live like Christ.”

Nikolaus Satelmajer, from the church’s Ministerial Association responsible for continuing education for Adventist clergy, believes there’s now a shift from emphasis on doctrine to more emphasis on spiritual formation within the Adventist Church. He also says that, “We’re finding a serious lack of knowledge of our people [church founders], our doctrines ... I think we have de-emphasized them.” Satelmajer says this is true particularly with the younger generation, and the cause of any spiritual formation growth stunt is not because of a focus on doctrine.

Though it’s not a concept that’s easy to grasp for an organization as a whole, spiritual formation is something each individual member can work on, Feldbush says. “When you think about it as an individual, we’re so used to gearing our spiritual experience on the ‘wow’ moments—the ones [in which] we can see the great things happening, whether it’s personally or organizationally. It’s easy to see God’s movement in those times. Real spiritual formation is a process of growing more and more in tune to discernment of God’s voice as well as more and more tuned to discernment of God’s moving in my life, in the ordinary of life, as well as even in the difficult times of life. That’s where real spiritual formation, or at least the value of spiritual formation, is seen.”

Spiritual formation is not about what one does, but what the motivations behind one’s actions are. Dr. Roger Dudley, professor emeritus of Christian Ministry and director of the Institute of Church Ministry at Andrews University Theological Seminary, and the 2002 survey coordinator, says there are stages of moral development. “A person who studies the Bible every day because he’ll be lost if he doesn’t has a low level of moral development; or a person who pays tithes and offerings because he expects an extra blessing. Higher levels would be a different level of motivation.”

“That overemphasis on doing to the detriment of being and particularly the detriment of being in the spirit and being in Christ as the very formational and foundational experience of the individual member and the church itself, I think that’s one of the big challenges,” says Feldbush. He adds that the three strategic values of the church—unity, growth and quality of life—adopted in 2002, demonstrate personal spiritual growth.

Spiritual formation takes on several forms: “There are disciplines of devotion, meditation, prayer, listening and so on,” Feldbush explains. “It’s a discipline which can be heeded through the assistance of a person who is trained in helping people grow in these ways.” But, he says, it’s mostly “growing more and more tuned to God’s movement in my life here and now.” And, he says, spiritual formation is not something that happens overnight.

“We [as a church] think that spiritual formation comes through socialization. But we need to be intentional about it,” says Thayer. “The culture we live in is so pervasive that the models there are more persistent and prevalent than the little models we have just in terms of the time we’ve spent.” Thayer refers to a need for showing others how to live like Christ in the real world.

Dudley adds that if more members are encouraged to study and pray more and are able and willing to share their faith, there may be spiritual development for the church as a whole. “Spiritual development is something that happens with individuals.”

Satelmajer adds, “And within congregations as well. Spiritual formation is the implementation of spiritual principles in my life and in my actions,” he says. “I think we’re missing something. It’s not just learning how to ‘meditate’—spiritual formation is learning how to implement spiritual things that I know or am learning or experiencing into my life and then into my everyday life…”

The Adventist world church created the International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education (IBMTE) in September 2001, designed to provide overall guidance and standards to the professional training of pastors, evangelists, theologians, teachers, chaplains and other denominational employees involved in ministerial and religious formation, or spiritual formation, in each of the church’s 13 regions around the world.

[Source: © 2012, Adventist News Network.]

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Conference “Towards a Sustainable Economic Order”

Conference “Towards a Sustainable Economic Order”

COMECE and CEC-KEK both look for a profound reflection of the European Integration process based on a search for the common good and the human dignity. We are also convinced that the roots of the financial and economical crisis are not purely to be found in the economical sphere but also ethics and spirituality have their say in this crisis.

To deepen this reflection we are glad to invite you for an evening debate on this topic.

Wednesday 23 May 2012, 20:00

Secretariat of COMECE, 19 Square de Meeûs – 1050 Bruxelles

The Contribution of Spirituality and Ethics: “Towards a Sustainable Economic Order”

Interpretation ENGLISH-FRENCH

Evening debate between

H.E. Mgr André-Joseph Léonard

Archbishop of the diocese of Bruxelles-Malines (Belgium)

&

Edy Korthals Altes

Ambassador Emeritus of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Chaired by H.E. Mgr Adrianus van Luyn

Bishop Emeritus of the diocese of Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

Former President of COMECE

The debate will be followed by questions from 2 young people:

Ms Kristine Jansone (EWCE) and Ms Marie-Caroline Leroux (WYA)

and an open discussion with the audience

Please register by 22 May here:

23.05.2012,

Attendance

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Mexican American Catholic College hosts immigration conference

Oct. 10, 2011
By NCR Staff
Immigration Symposium, Oct. 19-20, 2011, San Antonio, Texas.


The office of Continuing Education for Ministry at MACC -- Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio, Texas, is holding an important immigration symposium October 19-20 with the title "Violence on the Border: Consequences and Pastoral Responses"

Bishop Daniel Flores, diocese of Brownsville, Texas, will deliver the keynote. Discussion topics include:

•How are communities of faith responding?
•What needs to be done to bring peace to the border?
•The Relationship between violence and immigration.
For more information or to download the program and registration forms:

http://www.maccsa.org/academics_conted_production.php


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FAFCE Conference on the contribution of “invisible work” to the creation of wealth

17 October in Brussels: FAFCE Conference on the contribution of “invisible work” to the creation of wealth

In the framework of the European Year of Volunteering and with regard to the recommendations of the Stiglitz report, the findings of the recent OECD report Cooking, Caring and Volunteering: Unpaid Work Around the World, and the EESC Opinions SOC/243, SOC/366 et SOC/399, theFAFCE organises a conference under the sponsorship of Group III of the European Economic and Social Committee on the contribution of « invisible work » to the creation of wealth – an added value to the social cohesion.

According to the OECD report mentioned above “household production constitutes an important aspect of economic activity and ignoring it may lead to incorrect inferences about levels and changes in well-being”.Volunteering, intergenerational solidarity, and mutual help and assistance are all favoured by family associations. In addition, the production of households is one of these kinds of “invisible work”, that contributes directly to social cohesion. Here, the OECD directly addresses the question of the inclusion of this invisible work in the evaluation of wealth of the society and the wellbeing of populations This question leads to others at the heart of an interrogation on social cohesion: are there any reasons to consider gratuitousness in economical terms? Is social cohesion measurable in economical terms? If so, which indicators should be integrated in the usual and existing measures of wellbeing and sustainable development in order to account for the richness of the factors that favour social cohesion? Should these indicators be stimulated and if so, how?

Registration before 10th October: www.fafce.org

Source: http://www.europeansundayalliance.eu/site/newsevents/breakingnews?SWS=f1e44070a8c88a74df14c0920e87e6ef

Food for everyone-towards a global deal

http://www.eesc.europa.eu/food-for-everyone/about.html


Staffan Nilsson's speech – opening session –
At the conference Food for everyone-towards a global deal
23 May 2011
EESC- JDE 62


A very warm welcome to all of you attending our conference today entitled: "Food for everyone - towards a global deal". Food security concerns us all, because it is about the earth's resources, which we all share and use, and because food is vital for our lives.

I sometimes have the feeling that we modern urbanites are wholly unaware that the food we eat is the fruit of the earth. In the rich world, supply is enormous and choice infinite. In poor countries, people at best face the daily grind of trying to scrape together just enough to live on. Yet it is the earth – the land – that supplies our daily bread. No artificial system has been invented that can convert carbon atoms in the atmosphere into organic material so effectively. Plant photosynthesis captures energy from sunlight. Oxygen is also released during this process, which is the most important cycle in nature. It is plant cells that signify growth in the real sense of the word. And agriculture is the human activity that is perhaps most clearly tied to – and dependent on – this process. As a working farmer myself, I am a tiny part of that process – alongside all my fellow farmers, great and small, across the world.

The right to food involves three interlinked concepts:

- food safety – safe and healthy food
- food sovereignty – the right of self-determination in farming policy, and
- food security – the topic of our discussion today – which is officially defined as existing "when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life".

Why is food security now on the agenda? Why indeed is it the subject of our conference today? The short answer is that it is high on the agenda of the French G20 presidency in the run-up to the June summit. The EESC has been asked for input and wants to convey a robust message from civil society that makes clear just what we expect from our political leaders.

At the same time, we know only too well that we are nowhere near achieving the Millennium Development Goals agreed in 2000 at a UN conference attended by 189 heads of state or government in a bid to halve poverty and hunger by 2015. There are precisely 1 318 days left to achieve that.

FAO figures also clearly show that global-market food prices are on the increase. I look forward to hearing the FAO contribution to our discussions. In the short term, food price increases weigh heavily on people in countries that are, of necessity, net food importers.

We have also long known that some one billion people have too little food to live on. In 2009, the FAO pointed out that, far from improving, the situation had got worse, with the number of people in this category having risen by some 100 million.

There are thus many reasons to focus on food security and the right to food.

World leaders are concerned about the current increase in food prices on the world market and this is a major problem in the short term for developing countries that are reliant on imports.

Last year, a number of countries – including Russia – halted their grain exports so as to be able to meet their own supply needs. On 9 May this year, we learned that the Russian export ban, which will continue until at least 1 July, is threatening the Russian wheat harvest as lower domestic prices mean that farmers are switching from wheat to more profitable crops.

On 21 May, we heard that grain prices are shooting up because of drought. The European grain harvest has been hit by dry weather and frost damage. The wheat price has reached a record high.

I would at the same time like to quote from one of the contributors to our conference homepage:

"But the real problem is never addressed, that is the weak economic situation of farmers all over the world. In most countries, developed and developing countries' farm incomes are far below incomes in most other sectors of the economy. If farmers made money and had a sufficient income, hunger would not be an issue."

Clearly there are two sides to rising prices – just as hugely fluctuating prices create problems in themselves. Just how is everything linked together?

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the FAO in Rome on 6 May and spoke decisively and at length on the issue. Among other things, she said:

"We need to respond to the current climb in prices with immediate action while simultaneously deepening our commitment to long-term investment in agriculture and food security worldwide."

Let us hope that other world leaders take the same view and that we move from words to action.

Many issues need to be discussed and I hope you all will have the opportunity to tackle them during our workshops today. These include:

Investment – What can be done to boost investment and give farmers – not forgetting that women farmers are the norm across the world – access to micro-credits and the opportunity to invest?

Infrastructure – What can be done to give small farmers in remote areas the opportunity to market surplus production? How can we avoid production being undermined because of logistical shortcomings or lack of infrastructure?

Research and development – Where will the resources come from? What areas should we focus on? Are GM crops an opportunity or a threat?

Property rights – The whole land issue is complex. What can be done to give opportunities to countries that need land reform?

Land-grabbing – Is the fact that countries and companies buy up land in other countries a threat or an opportunity for local development? Do we need an international convention?

Biofuel production – Is biofuel production on arable land an opportunity or a threat for food production?

Climate change – How might climate change affect food production?

We can hardly mention all these issues without also touching on the CAP, the common agricultural policy, which is currently in a state of flux. There is no doubt that Europe's farmers need a common, forward-looking policy. The single market needs more – not fewer – common rules. That said, I also agree with a comment left on our website:

"In Sweden, different stakeholders – the farmers' association, the major environmental NGOs and the Church of Sweden – discussed ways to increase the coherence between these policies. One of the common conclusions was that the continued reform of CAP should focus on achieving ecological, social and economic sustainability in agriculture, and on clarifying the relationship between public support and the public goods and social values that farmers deliver to society."
Obviously we need a consistent, coherent policy.

The conclusions and recommendations of today's workshops will be organised civil society's input to discussions on food security within the G20. We hope that the outcome will also contribute to wider European and global discussions on this issue.

I am convinced that the EESC can, with its expertise and network of contacts with civil society in Europe and worldwide, provide an innovative and balanced contribution to the forthcoming G20 meeting.

Food security issues play an equally important role in policies designed by the European Commission. The conference today has been organised in close cooperation with the European Commission, and I would like to thank the Commission for its support. I am also very glad that two commissioners, Mr Dacian Ciolos and Mr Andris Piebalgs, will be attending today.

In the run-up to today's conference, a discussion forum was posted on the internet to encourage debate on the issues we are now addressing. My thanks go to everyone who contributed. A number of people highlighted the importance of rallying farmers in developing countries. The point was also made that, as we in the industrialised countries are pursuing a policy of coherence among a number of different areas, then we must be prepared to ensure that trade policy and development policy are consistent with agricultural policy and vice-versa.


* * *


You are all welcome to participate in the debate that follows. If you wish to take the floor, please fill in the request card that you find in your conference file and give the completed card to one of the ushers in the room. There are 5 request cards in your files: one for the debate on food security as a global challenge, plus one for each of the four workshops.


* * *


We have selected four major themes that we will then be looking at during four workshops, all intended to provide input on different matters.

Workshop 1 – food security and the functioning of the global agricultural markets
Workshop 2 – food security as a right
Workshop 3 – food security and the need for policy coherence between agriculture, trade and development policies
Workshop 4 – food security in the developing countries

I would like to give a special welcome to our guests and speakers who have travelled from far afield – from Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, India, Japan, Lesotho, South Africa. It will be particularly interesting to learn about your views and experiences.


Welcome once again – and I wish you every success in your deliberations today.

________________________

For further details:
Coralia Catana EESC President's Spokesperson +32 (0)25469963 +32 (0)498984613
E-mail: coralia.catana@eesc.europa.eu president.eesc@eesc.europa.eu
Internet: http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.staffan-nilsson-speeches

Source: http://www.eesc.europa.eu/food-for-everyone/2011-05-23-speech-food-for-everyone-en.doc

Conference youth visit King's Dominion for summer event

Tuesday, 16 August 2011 20:06

On Sunday, July 10, the Potomac Conference youth department hosted the Adventist Youth Fun Day at King’s Dominion. Since first launching this event in 2003, the participation has steadily grown, with this current event bringing together a record 414 participants, representing 22 churches and groups from around the Potomac Conference.

Adventist Youth Fun Day serves as a great time for our young (and some young-at-heart) people to come together and just enjoy a great time with other youth who share their same faith and values.

"We had a great time," said Marvyn Lee of the Filipino Capital church. Thanks to the Potomac Youth Department for this annual activity!"

“Next year I’d like to really make our presence felt on that campus by doubling our attendance, bringing together over 800 of our youth and families,” says Denny Grady, Potomac Conference Youth Director. "If we grow our numbers, then we can schedule the amphitheater and feature our own musicians and artist. That would really make our presence felt."

Teens from three different churches meet up to enjoy the day. From left to right are Nicole Grady, Kristen and Lauren Long, Jonathan Rodman, Justin Mudrich.

It's to late to change your mind now... Three members of the Filipino Capital Church youth group.

Members of the Filipino Capital SDA Church. The look of conquest, "I survived the Anaconda."
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The ReFined Youth/Young Adult Leadership Conference

leader.m2t

Uploaded by bartleyv on Jul 31, 2011

The ReFined Youth/Young Adult Leadership Conference

Hosted by: The ReFined Leaders Organization

September 23-25, 2011
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
Columbia, SC 29201

To learn more about this major event taking place visit us at http://www.therefinedleaders.org/.
REGISTER NOW!!! This is a Conference You Don't Want to Miss!

More:

ReFined Youth Leadership Conference.
Sep 23, 2011 - Sep 25, 2011
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln Street, Columbia, SC 29201.
The ReFined Leadership Conference seeks to reach, cultivate, and refine youth and young adults (ages 17-35) among all Christian denominations, across ethnicities and across the states of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. We envision this conference as a Revolutionized Evangelistic Effort that will foster an expansion of community outreach and cultivate effective youth leaders in today's society. Phone: 888-459-6884 from 4-8pm M-Th For more information, email: info@therefinedleaders.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it http://www.therefinedleaders.org/

http://www.adventistyouthministries.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=42&Itemid=59

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Former Adventist Church President Neal Wilson Passes Away

Tue, 12/14/2010 - 14:17 Alexander Carpenter

From Orville D. Parchment, Assistant to the President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church:

It is with sadness we communicate to you the passing of Pastor Wilson’s father, Elder Neal C. Wilson, earlier this afternoon. Pastor Wilson, his sister Shirley, and his wife, Nancy, had been caring for him during the last few days. The family will have a private graveside service later this week. A Memorial Service is being planned for a date to be determined. Details will be shared as soon as they are available. Please keep Elder Wilson and his family in your prayers during this very difficult time.

In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may be sent to: Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Adventist Heritage Ministry, Adventist World Radio or Christian Record Services for the Blind.
..

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"I suppose when the bullets are fired, they are unlikely at me. They're just ricocheting"

Can anyone remember last month when the President brought Bill Clinton to the White House Briefing Room and left him at the Podium?

(Obama left to attend a Christmas party.)

Well, Bill Clinton said the following while charming the press corps:

"I suppose when the bullets are fired, they are unlikely at me. They're just ricocheting".

(these words are pronounced at 21:00 min.)

.

"But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers"

Photo (Courtesy) http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/6372953/article-Creation-Seventh-Day-Adventist-Church-members-protest-court-order

Photo (Courtesy) http://mcnairycountynews.com/page3/page20/page20.html

1Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

2Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

4If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

6But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

7Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

8Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:1-11.
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Record low temps in Cancun 3 days in a row

The irony is just dripping off of this little factoid


7 Dec 10 - " With the UN Climate Change Conference underway in Cancun to discuss the dangers of Global Warming, the resort host location is experiencing its third straight day of record cold temperatures," says reader Richard Nathan.

Today the mercury fell to 53F in Cancun. The record for this date - 57F - was set in 2000.

Yesterday, the temperature in Cancun fell to 53F, a new record, and on Dec 5th it fell to 51F, yet another new record.

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/MMUN/2010/12/5/DailyHistory.html
Thanks to Richard Nathan for this link

"The irony is just dripping off of this little factoid," says Nathan.
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Bahamas - Conference Session 2010

Watch Live Online

13th Conference Session

Watch Live on ATV53 Cable Bahamas Adventist Television


Note: The last Conference Session was held in January 2007. Therefore, the normal time slated for the next Session would have been January 2011 (every four years). However, since the development of the Atlantic Caribbean Union Mission (voted at GC2010) the date of the Bahamas Conference Session has been moved up two months to facilitate a smooth transition for the new Union Mission

DATE: Sunday, November 7 to Tuesday, November 9, 2010 Be there.
PLACE: Hillview Seventh-day Adventist Church, Harrold Road, Nassau, The Bahamas

Opening Session
Sunday,
November 7, 2010 12 Noon to 5:00 PM: Registration
5:30 Opening of Session -Business Session Begins
6:30 Service with invited guests, President's Report

Monday,
November 8, 2010 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. Devotion Live Online
9:00 A.M. to 12:10 Business Session Not Online
12:10 to 12:30 Spiritual Nugget
12:30 to 2:00 P.M. Lunch
2:00 to 6:00 P.M. Business Session


Tuesday
November 9, 2010
7:00 P.M. Installation Service for Conference Officers, Directors, and Executive Committee Members

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GALEN HOLLEY: It’s a small world, even for Catholics and Adventists

Photo (Courtesy) http://nems360.com/view/full_story/5719492/article-Colts--Galen--vs--Saints--Chris--Who-will-win-the-Super-Bowl-?instance=secondary_stories_left_column

by Galen Holley/NEMS Daily Journal Nems360.Com
6 days ago

I get a lot of kidding about being Catholic. I even get some mean-spirited criticism. A year after I started working here one of my critics wrote in. To paraphrase, he said, “I detect, Mr. Holley, a strong, Roman Catholic emphasis on the religion page. You should know that most of your readers aren’t Catholic.”

I’m still scratching my head over that one. In the three years I’ve been here I can count the number of Catholic features I’ve done on one hand.

During my time here I’ve made a lot of friends among the ranks of Northeast Mississippi pastors. Ray Elsberry, the pastor at Tupelo Seventh-Day Adventist Church, is one of them. I liked Bro. Ray the moment I met him. He’s an old-fashioned country preacher, complete with walking cane and suspenders. He’s also a sincere, good-natured man who can laugh at himself.

One of these days I mean to ask Ray, given that Seventh-Day Adventists generally follow such healthy dietary guidelines, how, like me, he’s managed to become so rotund.

When I interview Ray he tends to start almost every sentence with, “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, Galen.” When he says that I know he’s about to lower the boom on the Catholic Church.

Ray will inevitably bring up how pope so-and-so, back in the 300’s, did something awful. I’ll say, “Well, OK,” and Ray and I will both end up laughing.

Perhaps Ray and I get along so well because we both belong to denominations that a lot of people around here think are weird.

When many people hear mention of Seventh-Day Adventists they think of David Koresh, the man whose insanity brought about his own death and those of dozens of his followers when the FBI raided their Texas compound in 1993.

As Ray explains it to me, the Branch Davidians, of which Koresh and his followers were members, are about as far removed from actual Seventh-Day Adventists as members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, many of whom are polygamists, are from actual LDS.

In both cases, the only connection between the groups dates back to a split that happened decades ago, and, in both cases, neither group today has anything to do with the other.

I don’t think Ray and the members of his church are weird. They hold some different beliefs than I do, but, when you stop and think about, most religious people hold some pretty weird beliefs.

Christianity in general makes some pretty outrageous claims. Most of its basic tenets are offensive to the rational mind.

In researching this story I discovered that the place where I attended graduate school, the roof under which I slept for a year, in cozy Takoma Park, Maryland, is the building that formerly housed the world headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The denomination’s current headquarters is one Metro stop north, in Silver Spring.

I’m pretty sure, based on the mutual distrust between Adventists and Catholics, that my school had to buy the building through a third party.

I haven’t mentioned a word of this to Ray, so he’s probably reading it now for the first time. It’s a small world, isn’t it Ray, old buddy?

Contact Daily Journal religion editor Galen Holley at 678-1510 or galen.holley@djournal.com

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Taking America Back Conference

TAKING AMERICA BACK is about freedom, the freedom the founding generation of leaders fought for in establishing the United States. As a nation, we have moved from being freedom fighters to comfort lovers, and it is time for all liberty-loving Americans to realize where our present state of affairs is taking us. It is time to choose the kind of country in which we want to live -- whether we want to live under the rule of law or under the rule of man. The choice is simple: the world of standards and morality, self-government and accountability to God or the world of tyranny and ever-changing moral codes enforced by government. How can Americans take back their nation? The only way we can reestablish our freedom -- our God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- is to break the hammerlock of statism and the notion that moral relativism holds the answers to ordering people's passions and behavior. Take a stand with us in Miami as we confront the destruction and fall of our great country and TAKE AMERICA BACK!

You've never been to a conference quite like this!



Take advantage of the $99.00 per person conference rate!
Rates go up after 9/1/10


http://www.takingamericaback2010.com/

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Southern Publishing Association Building in Nashville Tennessee burns

This is sad: SPA burns down

southern publishing association building in nashville tennessee burns

July 22nd, 2010

Posted by daniel

Published in daily rambliniscings


Channel 5 TV News gave this report about the fire which occurred on July 20, 2010:

by Chris Cannon

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Investigators believe a 3-alarm structure fire Tuesday afternoon on 24th Avenue North near Clarksville Pike is suspicious. For nearly five hours, firefighters battled with intense flames and the extreme heat.

Crews responded to the blaze at the former Seventh Day Adventist publishing house around 1:20 p.m. Heavy black smoke could be seen from miles away.

PHOTOS: 3-Alarm Structure Fire

The fire went to three-alarms. Two alarms of the alarms because to the size of the fire.

“And the third alarm is so that our guys can rest and other guys can go in and fight the fire,” according to Nashville Fire captain Maggie Lawrence.

Officials said 120 firefighters responded to the scene.

Temperatures in Nashville were into the low 90s as crews fought the blaze. Heat coming off the burning structure added to the already hot conditions.

In the 1890s, son James Edson White piloted the riverboat Morning Star on the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. Through an onboard printing press he published a journal called Gospel Herald, which encouraged and evangelized blacks in the South.

Moving to Nashville, he set his press up in a former barn chicken house. In 1901 the Gospel Herald Publishing Company became the Southern Publishing Association.

So this looks to be the very end of the line for the Gospel Herald Magazine founded by Edson White, which became the Southern Publishing Association. My father worked there from 1962-1970 or thereabouts, and my brother worked there too. Many truth-filled books were printed there, and i thank God for raising up this light in this part of the world.

Fortunately, last year when in America, i was able to take 6 pictures of the old Southern Publishing Association building. These pics can be seen on my blog here.

Credits to WKRN, WTVF, and WSMV for the news reports and pictures of the blaze.
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Source: http://great-controversy-movie.com/blog/?p=382

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Fordham University to Host 14th Annual Jesuit Leadership Conference

Contact: Janet Sassi
212-636-7577
fallersassi@fordham.edu

Speakers Gerety (top), Muldoon and Donohue (bottom).

More than 250 students from Jesuit schools around the country will converge on Fordham University's Rose Hill campus on July 28 for five days of workshops and community service in the Jesuit tradition.

The event marks the first time that Fordham is hosting the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference (NJSLC), an annual gathering of student leaders from the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.

The annual conference is designed to help student leaders develop ideas, explore student issues and build leadership skills in the Jesuit tradition. This year’s conference theme, “Ignite the Leader in You,” is designed around the four Jesuit tenets of cura personalis, unity of heart and mind, men and women for others and magis, and focuses on one tenet each day.

“Each day of the conference will offer different keynotes and different reflections, all based on St. Ignatius’ way of thinking and how it applies to student leadership,” said conference co-chair Michael Trerotola, CBA ’10. “A lot of students who attend Jesuit schools don’t realize the influence that the Jesuits’ history has on who they are, what they do and why. This conference will give them a great understanding of that, while exploring ways to become better human beings.

“These Jesuit tenets can be applicable in whatever religion you are part of,” he added.

Scheduled keynote speakers are:

Day One: Ed Gerety, co author of five books on leadership and personal development, on “Make Your Mark! Light the Way to Greatness;”

Day Two: Tim Muldoon, Ph.D., professor of theology at Boston College, spiritual guide and author of seven books on theology, spirituality, sexuality and marriage, on “Heart Speaking to Heart: a Spirituality for Jesuit Education”;

Day Three: Dart Westphal, president of Mosholu Preservation Corporation and publisher of the Norwood News, speaking on “Introduction to the Bronx,” a primer on service opportunities and their Ignatian contexts.

Day Four: Alison Donohue, FCRH ’94, GSAS ’98, New York Project Manager for Contemplative Leaders in Action and the first female chaplain at Regis High School, on “Magis: An Ignatian Approach to Decision-Making.”

In addition, Day Three, July 30, will be dedicated to Bronx community service. Students will volunteer at a dozen non-profits across the borough, including the Bronx Green Up urban farm, the Cerebral Palsy Association, the Concourse House for the homeless, the Teen Health Center at St. Barnabas, and the Fordham-Bedford Busters Garden, an abandoned lot developed by the surrounding community.

The conference wraps up with a special mass by John Cecero, S.J., celebrating the Feast of St. Ignatius (July 31) and a closing banquet with remarks by Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.

The five-day event is sponsored by the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators, with corporate sponsorship from The New York Times, Northwestern Mutual and others.

For a full schedule of events go to the conference web page.

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in Westchester, the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre at Heythrop College in the United Kingdom.

07/10

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Source: http://www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/eNewsroom/topstories_1905.asp

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Adventist church closes

By ELISA SAND, Staff Reporter 07/14/2010





THE INTERLAKES Seventh Day Adventist Church has closed. Members of the congregation voted three weeks ago. The building will eventually be put up for sale. (Photo by Elisa Sand)



A local church with roots that date back to 1882 has dissolved.

Members of the Interlakes Seventh Day Adventist Church decided to close effective three weeks ago.

The Rev. Don Johnson said that the decision was made because the congregation had gotten so small.

"We hated to see this happen," he said. "We're at six to eight members."

Johnson said that most of the youth in the congregation have grown up and moved away, leaving a primarily elderly congregation.

According to the "History of Lake County" book, the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Madison was established in 1882 and held services first at Herrick School before constructing its first church building in 1884. There's no record of the first location. The current church, located at N.W. 3rd Street and Grant Avenue, was built in 1907 and expanded in 1923. A 1968 remodeling project lowered the roof, added the brick exterior and installed new pews.

Johnson said the church will be put up for sale and local members plan to attend nearby Seventh Day Adventists churches in the region.
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Source: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20440740&BRD=1302&PAG=461&dept_id=181987&rfi=6

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