Collegedale Church Summer VBS Mission Offers Yoga Sessions To Young Girls

Collegedale Church Summer VBS Mission Offers Yoga Sessions To Young Girls

May 29, 2025 

NewsHound




In their Churchbeat Newsletter, the Collegedale SDA Church is inviting children age 4-10 to participate in their Vacation Bible School on June 23 - 27, and raise money for an 8-week Summer Arts program called SPLASH. Notice page 3 from their Newsletter, by ‘pastor’ Carole Verrill:

“We would like to utilize a program called SPLASH (splashyouthartsworkshop.org) to provide the arts education. SPLASH’s mission is to ensure arts access to underserved communities by offering high quality, free arts programs for youth in local schools, day care centers and high crime neighborhoods. SPLASH is usually a free program for urban youth, but due to budget cuts the program is no longer free. During our 8-week initiative we would also like to offer 2 sessions of yoga by a trained professional, snacks, a yoga mat for each girl, and an ice cream outing for the girls who complete the entire 8 weeks. The Summer Initiative will align with our mission of offering life skills education and new experiences to girls that we serve.”

Early in her newsletter, Carole Verrill writes that the goal of their VBS is to point children to Jesus the True North. Exactly how does raising money for yoga point impressionable young people to Jesus Christ? By the second session of yoga, people will be looking within for enlightenment. Doesn’t the Bible condemn such things?

On page 1, Carole Verrill invites SDA children to invite non-Adventists to VBS:

“We invite those ages 4-10 to take the VBS challenge of bringing a friend with them who does NOT attend our church. After you both register, call, text, or email Pastor Carole at cverrill@southern.edu or (423) 994-2396 and receive a thank you prize for being an evangelist for Jesus. You and your guest will receive a special Bruce the Moose VBS backpack as a thank you for sharing the love of Jesus with your friend.”

Is yoga acceptable for young Adventist girls 4-10 years of age, and non-Adventists? I don’t think this is what the Seventh-day Adventist Message is for (Matthew 23:15).

Please pray that this eastern mysticism is exposed, and renounced. Let us teach our young people about the Bible, and its Author—Who rescues people from progressive spirituality and eastern mysticism.

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4. 1 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE SHAKES GATLINBURG, TN

Tennessee earthquake rattles north Georgia, metro Atlanta

Bodycam Footage of Nashville Shooting Released

Sunday Assembly founders launch 'atheist church' in Nashville

Heidi Hall, The Tennessean 4:11 p.m. EST November 6, 2013



(Photo: LEON NEAL AFP/Getty Images)


A fast-growing, worldwide congregation for atheists called Sunday Assembly picked an unlikely spot to try and launch a new group.

It's Nashville. Where the Southern Baptist Convention is headquartered. Where Christian authors go to avail themselves of a vast publishing network. Where the faithful drive past several churches in their denomination on Sunday to attend just the right one.

But the founders of Sunday Assembly, British comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, say they're looking forward to visiting the fledgling group personally Thursday night. In fact, Jones said, he'd even like to learn something about church planting – and there are plenty of experts in Nashville.

"What happened is, we had about three or four people signed up, in fact, in Nashville, and we got a miscommunication and thought there were a lot more people signed up than there were," Jones said. "We thought we'd go for it anyway. Taking cues from the Southern Baptist Convention, we thought we'd have faith and give it a go. Sometimes it's just about getting it started. We don't know how many people will be there, but however many there are, that will be the perfect number."

It's a philosophy that's worked well for Evans and Jones, who launched the first Sunday Assembly — frequently shorthanded in media to "atheist church" — in London less than a year ago and, within weeks, were drawing a capacity crowd. They now head up 30 congregations around the world, with major U.S. locations in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.

On Oct. 20, Jones and Evans launched an Indiegogo.com campaign aimed at raising 500,000 British pounds, or about $805,000, to reach even more people. It was up to about $42,500 Wednesday morning.

All are welcome at the services, Jones said, but people looking for theological arguments will be disappointed. Sunday Assembly doesn't try to talk people out of their religious notions, just capture the best social parts of church without providing religious doctrine. Members celebrate life with poetry, lectures and songs such as Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."


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Catholic Charities Out of Control with Refugee Resettlement in Tennessee

Thursday, 8 August 2013



Don Barnett writes in The Tennessean:

“local affiliate funding is based on the number of refugees they serve, so affiliates have an incentive to maintain or increase the number of refugees they resettle each year rather than allowing the number to decrease.” --from the GAO report

At what level of taxpayer support for an entity do we stop calling that entity a “non-government organization” or a “religious nonprofit”? 

Revenue in 2011 for Migration and Refugee Services, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) refugee contracting arm, was more than $72 million, about 98 percent of which came from the taxpayer in the form of government grants or federal contracts. Would it surprise anyone to find it subject to the same incentives and laws of behavior that have driven federal contractors since the birth of the republic? 

USCCB’s main source of contracts and grants comes from refugee resettlement. The U.S. resettles nearly three times the refugees as the rest of the industrialized world combined, and the USCCB wants that number increased.

According to a recent report from the Washington think tank Migration Policy Institute (MPI), publicly funded private resettlement agencies, USCBB being the largest of nine, “meet with state and local agencies on a quarterly basis regarding the opportunities and services available to refugees in local communities and the ability of these communities to accommodate new arrivals. They also consult with the state refugee coordinator on placement plans for each local site. … If a state opposes the plan, the State Department will not approve it.”

 A July 2012 GAO report was a little more real world than the MPI report stating that “Most resettlement agencies … consult with some public entities such as state refugee coordinators; however, most public entities such as public schools and health departments generally said that agencies notified them of the number of refugees expected to arrive in the coming year, but did not consult them regarding the number of refugees they could serve…” 

Both reports assume a state government role in the resettlement process. The state refugee coordinator evaluates the plans of the private contractors, representing the interests of the taxpayer in the process. That’s the way it is supposed to work, in theory. 

In Tennessee, however, the state refugee coordinator is an employee of Catholic Charities, an affiliate of USCCB. Resettlement of the U.N.-selected refugees is Tennessee Catholic Charities’ largest mission and largest revenue item by far. 

In 2008, Gov. Phil Bredesen thought he was streamlining the process and saving money by outsourcing the state coordinator function to the contractor. Instead, he gave up the opportunity for the state to have any input in a process that affects the state and set up a textbook illustration of a conflict of interest. 

The annual cost of the program to Tennesseans went up immediately after the state handed over the position of state refugee coordinator. Today, Metro Nashville alone resettles more refugees than each of 29 states in the U.S. 

A bill introduced in the 2013 Tennessee legislature had the modest goal of requiring Catholic Charities to keep an accounting of the numbers of refugees it places into programs that carry a cost to the state taxpayer. TennCare, for instance, is about 30 percent funded by the state and most refugees are placed in TennCare upon arrival. 

Opposition to the bill was led by none other than the state refugee coordinator, whose motto seems to be “the less the public knows about this, the better.” The bill was deferred for “summer study” where bills often die. In this case, however, it may well come up again.
Hopefully, the 2014 legislature will act to require the contractor to record at least a portion of the costs it is running up on the taxpayers’ tab. A reasonable next step is for Tennessee to reclaim the function of the state refugee coordinator. This office should be representing the taxpayer, not the interests of a private contractor.

The Tennessee State refugee coordinator is Holly Johnson who is also an employee of Catholic Charities. The refugee coordinator for Metro Nashville is Abdelghani Barré, a Somali refugee himself.

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"A Third Way: Beyond the Conservative/Liberal Divide to a Christian Identity Refreshed"

2013 Adventist Forum Conference--"A Third Way: Beyond the Conservative/Liberal Divide to a Christian Identity Refreshed"


Public · By Spectrum/ Adventist Forums

Friday, September 6, 2013


Get Tickets (spectrummagazine.org)


Join us for the 2013 Adventist Forum Conference, Sept. 6-8, 2013, at the Sheraton Read House Hotel in Chattanooga, Tenn. Speakers include:

-Brian D. McLaren, activist, public theologian, and author of “Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?”
-Samir Selmanovic, consultant, founder of “Faith House Manhattan” and author of “It’s Really All About God.”
-William Johnsson, former editor of the Adventist Review and Adventist World, who represents the Seventh-day Adventist Church in interfaith and interchurch activities.

Is it possible to express a strong identity while relating to others with respect and generosity? How should we express our unique identity in a multifaith world? For community conversation on these questions and more, we look forward to seeing you in Chattanooga this fall.

To register, please click the the "Get Tickets" link above. Print the registration form and send it to us by mail or fax, or call to register by phone.

For more information, visit http://spectrummagazine.org/sites/default/files/2013%20AF%20Conference%20Flyer2.pdf.

BONUS: The first 25 people to register for the conference will receive a copy of "Adventist Women + Unity = Equality," Spectrum's newest DVD. Hosted by Dan Matthews and Bonnie Dwyer, the DVD combines Spectrum's interviews of women pastors with exclusive historic footage.



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Sinkhole opens in Blount County yard

Posted: Jul 08, 2013 7:33 AM EDT



By JOSH AULT
6 News Reporter

LOUISVILLE (WATE) - Heavy rain caused many trees to uproot in East Tennessee, but in a Louisville yard an uprooted tree revealed a bigger problem.

A growing sink hole appeared Sunday in the Wilsons' yard on Light Pink Road.

The family had just returned from church around noon, when they discovered a tree had fallen on their house. Then they saw the large sinkhole underneath the tree.

Hours later, they say, the sinkhole has doubled in size. It's now about 25 feet wide and about 20 feet deep.

"Our daughter's bedroom is right in front by the tree, so everyone slept on the other side of the house just in case the tree moved," said Kaila Wilson.

Wilson says she is afraid the sinkhole will get bigger.


"The tree is coming off today," said Wilson. "The tree people will be here soon to get it off, so our biggest concern now is the hole. We just found out our homeowner's insurance isn't going to cover it."


Tennessee's Department of Commerce and Insurance says it is state law for insurance companies to make available sinkhole coverage, but it is not required.

They also say many times the sinkhole has to be causing damage to the home for the insurance policy to kick in.


Brad Dean, owner of East Tennessee Foundation Repairs and Drainage Systems, says getting a sinkhole fixed can cost thousands.

"A sinkhole is going to be two to three times the size that you can physically see," said Dean.


Dean says sinkholes are common in East Tennessee, and it would be smart for people to see if sinkholes are covered in their homeowner's insurance.


He says sinkholes can be very dangerous.


"I would definitely be looking at staying toward the opposite corner of the home," said Dean.


Dean says the biggest cost is determining exactly what is causing the sinkhole before they can fill it in.


6 News called several insurance companies to find out how much adding sinkhole coverage would cost, but none of them wanted to talk about this type of coverage on camera.


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Night of Worship

4/1/13

CHATTANOOGA, TN—With standing room only, 540 people packed into the Hamilton Community Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., and came together for one purpose: worship. It was the vision of Rick Anderson and Brooks Pruehs to bring the community together through worship in music. “No One Higher” was the theme for their second Night of Worship, strategically planned to generate interest in the community to look only to ONE, to lift voice and heart to ONE who alone can change lives.

Members of the Hamilton Community Church invited their neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends to come experience one hour of powerful praise. Many Southern Adventist University students attended and brought friends as well. About half of those who came were non-members.

Dave Ketelsen, Hamilton Community Church pastor, gave a 10-minute stirring message reminding us all how we need to move from a behavior-centered religion to a Savior-centered relationship, where doing good by not doing bad is not good, and being right by not being wrong is not right—because it’s not about performance or behavior, it’s about connection and relationship with our Friend, Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, Ketelsen received a call from a young man who had come because his girlfriend invited him. He’s not a member of any church and knows very little about Adventists, but he asked if he could join the church; he’s now preparing for baptism and going through studies.

A Sunday pastor, who has been attending the Hamilton Community Church, also went to the Night of Worship.

“This was one of the most inspirational worship services I’ve ever been to,” he said. “Next time, I’ll invite more friends to come."

Written by Dave Ketelsen, Hamilton Community Church pastor
Photos by Grady Sapp

More News

Georgia-Cumberland Conference Mission for Spiritual Life
Intimacy with God is nourished by prayer, study and application of the Word, public and private worship, and faithful stewardship that strengthen a personal commitment to serving Jesus as Savior and Lord.

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Fight for the Word: 2 West Tenn. religious leaders continue fight over church name

11:32 PM, Oct 12, 2012


The Creation 7th Day & Adventist Church in Guys, shown in July. / Submitted photo

By Tracie Simer
| tsimer@jacksonsun.com


McGill

To read Walter McGill’s post-release statement, visitwww.pastorwalterchickmcgilllawsuit.net/PDF/MyOfficialPrisonReleaseStatement.pdf
To read McGill’s open letter to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, visitwww.pastorwalterchickmcgilllawsuit.net/PDF/OpenLetter2TedWilson2.pdf

To read the petition, visit www.LibertyPetition.com



Two West Tennessee church leaders have said they are not done with their fight for religious freedom — a fight they said is a “disgrace” for a country that was founded on religious liberty.

Luke Chartier and Walter McGill are members of a church in Guys, Tenn., called “The Creation 7th Day & Adventist Church.” The church was sued for trademark infringement by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Chartier said.

“We argued that our name has never caused confusion, and that our use of the name of our faith is divinely mandated and a key facet of our religion,” he said in an email to The Jackson Sun. “The court agreed with us on both points, but ruled against us on a technicality. Because our religion requires our use of the name, we have not been able to comply with court orders to stop doing so.”

He said the Seventh-day Adventist Church has “persistently” asked the court to jail Chartier and McGill in response to their actions.

“The court issued warrants for our arrest for ‘contempt of court,’” Chartier said. “And we were arrested on those charges and held without bail.”

McGill said their arrests and incarcerations were civil rather than criminal arrests. “We suffer no criminal record as the result of our arrests,” he said. “The law enforcement and courts would do nothing to us without the requests of the plaintiffs in this civil lawsuit. A few of the greatest names in history were made via ‘civil disobedience’ when faced with the need to satisfy conscience and stand for righteous principle.”

Both men were released from federal prison in late September after serving time in California, where McGill was arrested.

Representatives with the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists could not be reached for comment.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has more than 17 million members worldwide and 1.2 million members in North America, according to the church’s official website. The “Seventh-day” refers to members’ adherence to the biblical Sabbath, while “Adventists” means they anticipate the return of Christ and identifies their “faith community and distinct value system.”

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Neighbors support Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga

published Saturday, August 25th, 2012

by Clint Cooper

Mo Minkara speaks about the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga's new Community Center while standing in the mosque's prayer area. The center opened on July 20, and there will be a grand opening ceremony on Saturday.
Photo by Dan Henry.

IF YOU GO

What: Grand opening of Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga, including dinner, tours, award presentations and a community dialogue.

Where: Islamic Center of Chattanooga, 2533 Gunbarrel Road.

When: Today at 6 p.m.

RSVP: drmounir@yahoo.com

Neighborliness may have made the difference between the calm that accompanied the building of the Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga and the furor that arose over a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Tonight, officials with the Chattanooga center will welcome the public to their $2 million facility on Gunbarrel Road, while officials of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro remain embroiled in a heated court battle against neighbors who want to keep the center from opening.

Bassam Issa, a member of the board of directors of the Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga, credited the absence of controversy here to several factors, including greater tolerance among residents, transparency about the project and location of the mosque.

"Chattanooga has always been more tolerant," he said.

Center leaders also were "up front from Day One" about the project, he said. They shared plans for the center with officials at nearby churches.

"We had their full support," Issa said.

Ralph Neall, a retired Seventh-day Adventist pastor and Bible professor, said he introduced Issa and other center backers to about 10 area clergypersons.

"[They] wanted to convince [us] they were good neighbors," he said. "I see no problems at all."

The location of the Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga also may have made a difference, Issa said.

The Murfreesboro center is in an office park, while the Chattanooga center is on a wooded area of Gunbarrel Road within sight of two churches, Chattanooga First Seventh-day Adventist and The Crossing, a Church of God congregation.

Dale R. Tunnell, pastor of First Church of Seventh-day Adventists, the closest Christian church to the center, said his interaction with the Muslim officials has been peaceful, polite and hospitable.

"We've done several things with them," he said. "They've invited us to special events, and we've invited them to special events at our church."

Tunnell acknowledged that there is no guarantee everyone in the area will be as welcoming.

"It's possible that some are scared and fearful and don't know how to respond to people who are different than they are," he said. "We just have to follow the commands of Jesus and love people who are different from us."

The Rev. Terry Harris, senior minister of The Crossing, said through an intermediary that he and his wife met with center officials, extended a hand to them, and that his church planned to be good neighbors to the Islamic center.

Issa, who has lived in the area for 39 years, said local residents also know many of the people who attend the center.

"They're doctors, business people," he said. "They are Chattanoogans. It makes a lot of difference."

Shared vision

Issa said the Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga was a vision he and three others -- Dr. Arif Shafa, Amjad Murir and Azhar Sheick — formulated in 2007 to combine a school, a multipurpose room and a mosque in an area convenient to an interstate and to Muslims across the city.

They toured churches and other centers in Tennessee, Georgia and other areas of the Southeast to get ideas, he said.

The plan they chose, a domed structure, was unique among Islamic centers but fits within traditional Islamic architecture, said member Mo Minkara.

"We didn't see anything like it," he said. "Most [with a school, multipurpose room and mosque] have separate walls."

The triangle-shaped, 2.7-acre property was purchased late in 2007, and the building was built in phases. Dome Technology, an Idaho-based company, built the base domed structure. Pointe General Contractors of Chattanooga finished the entry and the inside.

Minkara said the structure is energy efficient with all-concrete walls and is environmentally friendly with underground stormwater collection.

Annoor Academy, the private school which had been on Brainerd Road since its founding in 2009, occupies 17,200 square feet — including the center gymnasium/education hall — of the 22,500-square-foot center.

The school, which has been adding a grade a year, has 45 students from preschool through fourth grade. Three of its seven teachers are Christians.

The mosque now occupying one part of the center is the former Masjid Annour, which had been located in a house in a neighborhood off Highway 58. With bright blue carpet and an intricately blue tiled back wall, it offers separate prayer spaces for men, women with children and women without children.

The building can hold more than 1,000 people. Issa said there were "hundreds" present for the faith's recent Ramadan observances, which ran from July 19 until Aug. 18.

Daily prayer services at the center draw around 50 people, he said. Friday prayer services attract 150 to 200 people.

Future plans, according to Minkara, may include wider community educational opportunities and interfaith dialogues — similar to those at the Jewish Cultural Center — as well as basketball, soccer and volleyball.

The site also eventually will host a small soccer field and a playground, officials said. They will be able to do that, said Issa, because Pat Neuhoff of Neuhoff Taylor Architects "utilized the land so effectively."

The center, as built, is debt-free, said Issa.

"We've been very happy to accomplish this project," he said.

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Sign Unchanged for Church Founded by Tennessee Pastor Arrested in Loma Linda

A photo taken Friday July 20 in Guys, Tenn., shows the church founded by Pastor Walter McGill is still called 'Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church.'

By Guy McCarthy July 21, 2012

Photo taken Friday July 20, 2012, in Guys, Tenn., shows the sign for Pastor Walter McGill's church is unchanged. Photo by Jeff Whitten, Independent Appeal. Credit Guy McCarthy

The sign at a church founded by a pastor arrested July 13 in Loma Linda remained unchanged a week later, a newspaper in Tennessee reports.

A photo taken Friday July 20 in Guys, Tenn., shows the church founded by Pastor Walter McGill is still called "Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church."

McGill and the Seventh-day Adventist Church of North America are involved in a trademark infringement dispute, according to court records. McGill is founder of Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church in Guys, Tenn., and the dispute is over use of the name "Seventh-day Adventist."

A federal judge in Tennessee has enjoined McGill and his followers "from using the mark SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST, including the use of the words SEVENTH-DAY or ADVENTIST, or the acronym SDA," court records state. McGill's refusal to abide by the court order led the warrant for his arrest.

The 66-year-old pastor was arrested on a federal contempt of court warrant July 13 on the grounds of the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church by U.S. Marshals based in Los Angeles.

Approximately 6,500 members of the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church comprise the largest Adventist congregation in North America, according to the church's website.

McGill is serving a 30-day jail sentence in San Bernardino County. He was being held Saturday at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino and he was ineligible for bail, according to county inmate records.

At a hearing Wednesday in Riverside, "McGill was remanded to the custody of the US Marshals to serve 30 days in custody, as per the district court's contempt order," Department of Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek said earlier this week.

McGill will serve the remainder of his time in San Bernardino County, Deputy U.S. Marshal Laura Vega said in a phone interview.

A pdf copy of the federal court order that preceded a warrant for McGill's arrest is attached to this report.

The July 20 photo was submitted to Redlands-Loma Linda Patch by the Independent Appeal newspaper in McNairy County, Tennessee.

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Tennessee Pastor in Adventist Dispute to Do Time in San Bernardino County

Walter Ogden McGill was arrested on a federal contempt of court warrant about 8 p.m. Friday July 13 in Loma Linda by U.S. Marshals based in Los Angeles.

• By Guy McCarthy
• Email the author
• July 19, 2012

A Tennessee pastor involved in a trademark dispute with the Seventh-day Adventist Church of North America will serve the rest of his 30-day jail sentence in San Bernardino County, federal officials said Thursday.

Walter Ogden McGill, 66, was arrested on a federal contempt of court warrant about 8 p.m. Friday July 13 in Loma Linda by U.S. Marshals based in Los Angeles.

At a hearing Wednesday in Riverside, "McGill was remanded to the custody of the US Marshals to serve 30 days in custody, as per the district court's contempt order," Department of Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek said in an email.

McGill will serve the remainder of his time in San Bernardino County, Deputy U.S. Marshal Laura Vega said in a phone interview.

He was being held Thursday at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino and he was ineligible for bail, according to county inmate records.

McGill and the Seventh-day Adventist Church of North America are involved in a trademark infringement dispute, according to court records. McGill is founder of Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church in Guys, Tenn., and the dispute is over use of the name "Seventh-day Adventist."

He was arrested Friday on the grounds of the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church, according to the sheriff's department.

Approximately 6,500 members of the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church comprise the largest Adventist congregation in North America, according to the church's website.

A pdf copy of the warrant for McGill's arrest is attached to this report.

Follow Redlands-Loma Linda Patch on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for the free daily newsletter here.

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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."

Source

Cooper: White Dove Cafe in Collegedale features Christian contemporary music

published Saturday, February 18th, 2012

by Clint Cooper

You may have heard of The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, but are you aware of The White Dove Cafe in Collegedale?

The latter is an adult, coffeehouse-style, contemporary Christian music venue tucked into a room, the Connection Corner, at Collegedale Community Church.

It began in the spring of 2010 and is offered 7-9 p.m. on the third Friday of each month.

Tom Hayes, church life pastor of the congregation, said when he lived in Nashville he visited The Bluebird Cafe and appreciated how it allowed unknown and well-known songwriters to play their music.

"It's a sharing music space, especially for musicians who are not professional," he said of the Collegedale venue. "It's for songwriters who have a testimony, a poem, who want to share a song they've written."

Hayes said he and co-founder Jentry Tillman aren't looking for up-and-coming stars -- Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift played The Birdbird before they were discovered -- but to allow songwriters to share and others to socialize, ask questions and enjoy themselves.

"It's very laid-back," he said. "We don't want it bigger. We want it intimate."

Hayes said the room is set up -- in round tables with candles -- for 35 to 40 people and has attracted an average of 20 to 35 per session.

The area has a public address system, he said, and is geared toward an acoustic piano or guitar.

Though most of the music is contemporary Christian, Hayes said, songwriters can share secular numbers.

"We're not holding them to [Christian]," he said. "It can be a mix but with an inspirational style."

Though the congregation is Seventh-day Adventist, Hayes said, songwriters and listeners do not have to be. And visitors are not given a denominational pitch or hounded with literature, he said.

"We're encouraging any musicians -- anybody who wants to come and share music," he said. "We do not want to make it intimidating. We encourage talk, [and] people can ask questions. It's a community sharing program."

Hayes said coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, pretzels and other light refreshments are available.

He said he had no specific long-range plans for The White Dove Cafe but hoped it would continue to offer an evening of Christian fellowship with a changing group of artists.

"We want to keep it fresh, keep it moving," Hayes said. "We'd love for everybody to come."

The next White Dove Cafe will be March 16.

Musicians interested in performing are asked to call the church office at 396-5464.

The church is at 4995 Swinyar Drive on the hill overlooking Collegedale City Hall.

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