June 2015

Volume 12

Issue 06

To reach London with the distinctive, Christ-centered, Seventh-day Adventist message of Hope and Wholeness.

NEWSLETTER

London, Ontario

In This Issue
Circumstances alter cases and the ordination of women..1
Transcending talk with types of tithe .2
Is Milk Good for Our Bones?...................3
Mission Nicaragua Report....4
Adventist Evangelist Ron Halvorsen Sr.
Dies.10
Changes to expect at the 60th General
Conference session. Revisions to Church
Manual Include Matters on Discipline.12

Jon Paulien, PhD, is dean of the School of Religion

at Loma Linda University.

How God Destroyed a Wall of Suspicion

at Jerusalems Temple Mount.13
Western District schedule of speakers,
May 2015........14

CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES AND THE

ORDINATION OF WOMEN
Circumstances alter cases. The phrase was often used by Ellen White. A
positive example can be found in volume 6 of Testimonies for the Church:
While we present methods of work we cannot lay out an undeviating line in
which everyone shall move, for circumstances alter cases. God will impress
those whose hearts are open to truth and who are longing for guidance (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6 p. 339)

Is Milk Good for

Our Bones?
NutritionFacts.org

In the second volume of Manuscript Releases, she wrote: Circumstances alter

cases. I would not advise that anyone should make a practice of gathering up
tithe money. But for years there have now and then been persons who have
lost confidence in the appropriation of the tithe, who have placed their tithe in
my hands, and said that if I did not take it they would themselves appropriate it
to the families of the most needy ministers they could find. I have taken the
money, given a receipt for it, and told them how it was appropriated (Letter
267, 1905, pp. 1-2, Manuscript Releases, Vol. 2, p. 100) She also cautioned
people not to use the phrase as an excuse to ignore Gods Word and follow
their own selfish motives and purposes (Review and Herald, Sept. 14, 1905).

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London Seventh Day Adventist Church, 805 Shelborne Street, London, Ontario N5Z 5C6 Canada, 519.680.1965

Transcending
talk with types of
tithe.
A. Allan Martin, Ph.D., is an adjunct
professor of discipleship and family
ministry at the Adventist Theological
Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

tions about youth and young adults

to conspicuous and calculated action.
Although I admire the outspoken
positions our leaders have taken on this
issue I want to invite you and every
leader in the Adventist Church to transcend talk with tangible action. Specifically I'm asking you to tithe. Tithe one
or more of the following beginning today: Travel, time, Timothys, telecasts
and talents.
Tithe your travel. Divert one of your
travel appointments, and instead sponsor a young adult to be trained ministry
leadership. Instead of taking on that
10th speaking appointment or attending
another committee meeting, invest that
trip's budget into the leadership development of a young adult.

Tithe and God

Over the tenure of our past leadership, I was repeatedly impressed by the
strong and succinct conviction of Elder
Jan Paulsen as to the importance of
new generations. Last year, Paulsen
articulated in the October edition of Adventist World, "We must give young
adults meaningful roles within the
church (p.10)." Paulsen also re-initiated
the Let's Talk series that he had conducted around the world for over half a
decade.
In the afterglow of the 59th General
Conference Session, we commence
upon the tenure of new leadership for
our world church and for many of our
divisions.
I have already heard wonderful and
strong comments from leadership about
the importance of young people and the
need to retain our young adults. Even
though I support these fine and admirable verbal gestures, I feel we fail new
generations if we only offer another
round of conversations and compelling
articles.
So I share this open letter with you,
leader -- whether you offer volunteer
leadership in your local church or campus or serve as a ministry professional,
educator or administrator. Leader, I implore you to move beyond conversa

Tithe your time. Offer a 10th of your

time each week to mentoring a young
adult. If you average a 40-hour workweek, then set aside four hours this
week and each week to nurture, apprentice, and encourage a young adult.
Begin to pour yourself into the next
generation.
If you are working a 60-hour workweek and are saying to yourself, "There
is no way I can offer six hours each
week to mentor a young adult," it may
be that you need to change your work
habits.
Tithe your Timothys. Empower a
10th of your young leadership to develop new generations. You may be in the
situation where you have a large team
of young ministry leaders [i.e., a campus ministry or student association for
an Adventist college or university]. Ask
your team to train, mentor, and nurture
the young people who follow them in
age. Set aside a tenth of the resources
and efforts you give to minister to your
campus or church and invest it in the
next generation of leaders.

Overtly involve young adults in the

production, creative, and technical aspects of the tithed endeavor.
For some of you, the pulpit is where
you broadcast the Gospel. Afford at
least a 10th of the worships in your
church to involve young people. If you
don't have any youth in your church,
more radical tithing may be in order.
Tithe your talents. Begin today to let
a young person take your place. The
classic parable admonishes us to multiply our talents, not bury them in the
sand. Although often referring to talents
as money, I would offer here a hybrid
application, noting that your skills, abilities, giftedness, and wisdom need to be
invested in the next generation. Allow
"up and coming" young adults to take
roles you might have easily and competently taken. Give them the opportunity
to take your place -- at least begin with
a 10th of your place.
Dear colleague, I am personally appealing to you to instigate this "tithing"
movement today.
If you or someone else calls you a
"Seventh-day Adventist leader," this talk
-transcending-tithing request is for you.
Whether travel, time, Timothys, telecasts, or talents, I ask that you put your
tithing into motion today.
Thank you for your kind consideration, and in advance I share my gratefulness for your immediate action.
I believe that leaders best represent
the Christ who relentlessly pursues new
generations by transcending talk with
tangible transformational relationships.
May the God young adults seek be
found in and through you.

Tithe your telecasts. Dedicate a 10th

of your broadcast time to intentionally
disciple young adults.
Knowing the integral role media
plays in young lives, invest in nurturing
their spiritual growth through music,
television, film, drama, comedy, photography, literature, art or production.

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Continued from page 1.

Transcript: Is Milk
Good for Our Bones?
By NutritionFacts.org
Milk is touted to build strong bones, but a compilation
of all the best studies found no association between
milk consumption and hip fracture risk, so drinking
milk as an adult might not help bones, but what about
in adolescence? Harvard researchers decided to put it
to the test.
Studies have shown that greater milk consumption
during childhood and adolescence contributes to peak

needed to detoxify the galactose found in milk so they

end up with elevated levels of galactose in their blood,
which can causes bone loss even as kids, so maybe,
the Swedish researchers figured, even in normal people that can detoxify the stuff, it might not be good for
the bones to be drinking it every day. And galactose
doesnt just hurt the bones. Thats what scientists use
to cause premature aging in lab animals They slip
them a little galactose and you can shorten their
lifespan, cause oxidative stress, inflammation, brain
degeneration, just with the equivalent of like 1-2 glasses of milks worth of galactose a day. Were not rats,
thoughbut given the high amount of galactose in
milk recommendations to increase milk intake for prevention of fractures could be a conceivable contradiction, so they decided to put it to the test, looking at
milk intake and mortality as well as fracture risk to test
their theory.
A hundred thousand men and women followed for up
to 20 years; what did they find? Milk drinking wom
en had higher rates of death, more heart disease, and
significantly more cancer for each glass of milk. Three
glasses a day was associated with nearly twice the risk
of death. And they had significantly more bone and hip
fractures too.

Hip fracture rates are highest in population.

bone mass and is therefore expected to help avoid osteoporosis and bone fractures in later life. But that's
not what they found. Milk consumption during teenage
years was not associated with a lower risk of hip fracture and if anything milk consumption was associated
with a borderline increase in fracture risk in men.

Men in a separate study also had a higher rate of death

with higher milk consumption but at least they didnt
have higher fracture rates. So a dose dependent higher
rate of both mortality and fracture in women and a
higher rate of mortality in men with milk intake, but the
opposite for other dairy products like soured milk and
yogurt, which would go along with the galactose theory, since bacteria can ferment away some of the lactose. To prove it though, we need a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of milk intake on mortality and fractures. As the accompanying editorial
pointed out, we better find this out soon as milk consumption is on the rise around the world.

It appears that the extra boost in total body bone mineral density you get from getting extra calcium is lost
within a few years even if you keep the calcium supplementation up, this suggests a partial explanation for
the long-standing enigma that hip fracture rates are
highest in populations with the greatest milk consumption. Maybe an explanation why theyre not lower, but
why higher?
This enigma irked a Swedish research team, puzzled
because studies again and again had shown a tendency of a higher risk of fracture with a higher intake of
milk. Well there is a rare birth defect called galactosemia, where babies are born without the enzymes

Continued on page 4.

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Mission Nicaragua
Report.

singing, and praying for the series as pastor Juan preached

heartily. The two Sabbaths church experience was also
unique, as we held our English Sabbath School class under
a mango tree in the back yard, and tried to understand what
was going on without translators available. Brother Ferreiras Portuguese proved very useful as he became our
unofficial translator in conversations with local people.

From May 5 to 20 pastors Juan Carlos Atencio and

Alex Golovenko worked together with Kathy and Gord
Rayner, Sandra and Stepan Golovenko, Janice Brindley,
Bob Reeve, Valdemar Ferreira, and Udo Muller in Nicaraguan town La Trinidad, in Esteli province. Arriving in the middle of the night we felt the climate difference, as the heat
does not go down even in the night! The scorching heat of
35 degrees midday, and 28 at night was challenging at first,
but became welcoming as we got used to it. The hot temperatures during the day made us change the schedule to
start work at dawn, 6 am.

The local currency is exchanged 27 cordobas for 1 US

dollar, and the average income of people varies from $100
to $200 per month. We were told that about 60% are unemployed, and many invent their own opportunities to earn.
Prices on things are similar to our Canadian costs in dollars!
And some things, like electronics are even more expensive,
thus, making it next to impossible for the local people to purchase much. Yet, in spite of poverty, people are content,
happy, cheerful, and carry on with so much dignity!

Hence rising after 4 am to prepare for a morning team

devotional meeting at 5 am, breakfast 5:30 and a short walk

It has been truly a life transforming experience for all.

Number had already made a commitment to return. Pastor
Golovenko will be leading a team back to Nicaragua in

to work. We worked stopping only for watermelon snacks

till 2 pm.

2016, from January 26 to February 17 (tentative dates).

During this trip our team had left about $9,000 for projects

The heat and hard physical labor, combined with a plantbased diet was a good weight loss program for some and
endurance test for others J. Some of you had already seen
pictures on the Facebook. The team members grew spiritually closer with God, with one another, and made new relationships with people there. Returning home we stopped at
Grenada and Managua, where some members got courageous to zip-line over a lake (guess who!?)

and assisting people in need. The new goal is to fundraise about $50,000 for orphanage repair to be completed,
for a Sabbath school classes for a church, and more projects. A group from Winnipeg that was there in 2013 are
planning to join in on the next trip together.

For one whole week pastor Atencio conducted evangelistic series Promises in the Book of Daniel resulting in baptism of two youth. Kathy Rayner did the health presentation
at the opening of nightly presentations. Team members, regardless of how tired we felt, were there also every night

On June 13, at 5 pm our team members will present pictures, video and stories from Nicaragua at the London
(South) SDA Church at 805 Shelborne Street. Do not miss
the opportunity to learn about mission work from the eyewitnesses.

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I did a little research and learned that Ellen White did not
make up the phrase; it is actually an old English proverb,
probably going back to the 17th century. In the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, I found the following definition:
A general principle may be modified in light of particular
circumstances. According to the Dictionary of Idiomatic
English Phrases, It is necessary to modify ones conduct
by the particular circumstances or conditions of each case.
Let me share some examples of how circumstances
alter cases can be seen in the Bible. In Genesis 17, God
offers Abraham an everlasting covenant (verse 7). That
sounds pretty permanent. This everlasting covenant would
be for you and your offspring after you throughout their
generations (verse 9, ESV). Thats pretty permanent, too.
And, of course, the sign of that everlasting covenant was
the circumcision of all males among the descendants of
Abraham.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the early Christian
church adopted circumcision as a mandatory rule for all
followers of Jesus. In fact, some of the most passionate
believers among them confidently asserted, Unless you
are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you
cannot be saved (Acts 15:1, ESV). But at the council described in Acts 15, church leaders discovered that the Holy
Spirit was calling uncircumcised Gentiles such as Cornelius. What to do? They rethought Genesis 17 and concluded that circumcision was specifically for the physical
descendants of Abraham but was not required for the Gentiles (verse 19). Later on, when Timothy accepted Jesus,
Paul required him to be circumcised because the Jews in
that area knew that even though Timothys father was a
Greek, he had a Jewish mother (Acts 16:3). The full Gentile
Titus, on the other hand, was not circumcised (Gal. 2:3).
Circumstances alter cases.
The book of Leviticus offered rules and regulations for
Israels experience of wandering in the desert and living in
tents around the tabernacle. Leviticus 17 addressed the
private slaughter of animals intended for food or sometimes
even for sacrifice. Some people did the slaughtering at their
tents; others did it outside the camp. Under no circumstances were the Israelites to neglect to bring their slaughtered
meat to the door of the tabernacle to be inspected by a
priest (Lev. 17:4). Even better was to let the priests handle
the whole process (verses 5-6). A crucial factor in this regulation was the proper draining of blood, which was not to be
eaten (verses 10-11). This was to be a statute forever for
them throughout their generations (verse 7, ESV). This is a
reasonably clear text, and it sounds pretty universal and
permanent.
A generation later, however, the circumstances were
about to change. Moses created a second
law (Deuteronomy), which would apply to Israels settled
existence in the Promised Land (Deut. 12:1). In Deuteronomy 12, Moses instructed the Israelites to continue bringing
animals for sacrifice to designated locations, such as the
sanctuary (verses 13-14). But the slaughter of meat for food
was no longer part of the regulation. They could freely do
that slaughtering where they lived, as long as they did it the

right way, respecting the blood regulations (verses 1516). You see, animals to be sacrificed could be transported
live, so the distance between home and sanctuary was not
critical. But with meat, freshness begins to decline the moment an animal is slaughtered, so requiring the people to
transport meat as far as 50 miles back home before they
could eat it made no sense. Circumstances alter cases.
In Daniel 2 and 7, we see that God himself made this
kind of adjustment. In both chapters a human being saw a
vision of the future that involved four kingdoms, followed by
the kingdom of God. To Nebuchadnezzar, this vision came
in the form of an idol (tselm Dan. 2:31-33; 3:1-6). This
may seem a startling metaphor for God to use, but it made
perfect sense to the pagan king. After all, to Nebuchadnezzar the great kingdoms of the world were beautiful, shining
examples of the gods they worshiped. Now notice that
when God gave essentially the same vision to Daniel, the
Hebrew prophet, he shaped the vision as a replay of the
story of creation. There was a stormy sea (Dan. 7:2), then
animals appeared (verses 3-8), then a son of man was given dominion over the animals (verses 13-14). Just as Adam
had dominion over the animals at creation (Gen. 1:26-28;
2:20), Gods second Adam, the son of man, would have
dominion over the kingdoms that were hurting Daniels people. Circumstances alter cases. What is unique in this example is that God himself is the one doing the contextualizing. You cant blame the change on the human author of
the text.
These passages call to mind principles that run parallel
to the proverb circumstances alter cases. One of these is
God meets people where they are, and another is there
is more than one right way to think. When you consider the
four Gospels, it would be foolish to ask, Which Gospel writer was right: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John? They were all
inspired, and they were all right. Yet each gives a unique
and different picture of Jesus. There is more than one right
way to think. Is Jesus divine, or is he human? Wrong question! There is more than one right way to think about Jesus.
That doesnt mean that all ways of thinking are right. But
truth must not be limited to one form of expression. Circumstances do not alter all cases, but absolutizing revelation in
many circumstances undermines the very principle that is
driving the text.
Moving to the New Testament, we have another example of how circumstances alter cases. The council of Acts
15 reached a decision that Gentiles should not be troubled
by practices like circumcision (verse 19) but should refrain
from eating food that had been ceremonially polluted
(alisgma) in relation to idols (verse 20). This was one of
several regulations that would allow Gentiles and Jews to
more comfortably fellowship together. In disseminating the
decision of the council, the leaders clarified their meaning
with a different word; Gentiles should not eat food
sacrificed or offered (eidlothutos) to idols (verse 29).
Paul addressed the same issue in 1 Corinthians 8-10,
but he did so in greater depth. He mentioned food offered
to idols [eidlothutos] six times: 8:1, 4, 7, 10; 10:19, 28. He
asserted that no idol in the world really exists (1 Cor. 8:4,
NRSV) and that an idol is nothing (KJV); therefore,
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Continue from page 6

offering or sacrificing food to idols does not in any way
change the food or affect our relation to it (verse 8). So eating such food is not an issue for intelligent Christians, in
spite of the decree of the council in Acts 15. But since not
all Christians have this knowledge (1 Cor. 8:7), one must
be sensitive to the impact ones own practice will have on
the faith experience of another (verses 9-13).
In addition, while idols have no real existence, Christians should generally avoid temple practices, as they may
involve the presence of demons, which would make it a
dangerous place to go (1 Cor. 10:16-21). On the other
hand, if an unbeliever invites you to dinner (verse 27) or if
you are shopping in the marketplace (verse 25), dont worry
about whether the food was offered to idols or not; go
ahead and eat without asking questions. But if someone,
likely a fellow believer, objects that the food was offered to
an idol, then dont eat it (verse 28), not because an idol is
anything, but because of the conscience of the one who
said it (verses 29-33). You dont want to damage that persons conscience or walk with God (1 Cor. 8:10-13). In matters like this, council or no council, it is important to use
common sense (1 Cor. 10:15). While not opposed to the
action of the council, Paul was using common sense to
clarify its intention in various situations. In a different place,
the policy should be applied differently. Circumstances alter
cases.
In Romans (written about 50 years after the start of the
Christian era), Paul spoke very positively about the role of
civil government. Christians should be subject to civil authority, because such authorities have been instituted by
God (Rom. 13:1). To resist such authorities is to resist the
same God who appointed them (verse 2). In fact, the civil
authorities act as servants (diakonos or deacons) of God
to keep order in society (verses 3-4, 6). Christians should
treat civil authorities with honor and respect, for the sake of
conscience (verses 5, 7).
But 40 years later, the situation seemed to have
changed. In WWW.ATODAY.ORG 33 the book of Revelation (probably written around A.D. 90), civil authorities enmeshed with false religion can be described as vicious, persecuting beasts (verses 1-2, 11) who are hurting and will
hurt Gods people (verses 7, 10, 15-17). They also blaspheme God himself (verses 1, 6). Since Romans was probably written from Corinth, in the same general region of the
empire as Asia Minor, we see a very different attitude toward civil authority in the same region, but at a different
time (40 years later). Circumstances at different times and
in different places call for a fresh application of biblical principles. Circumstances alter cases.
In the early 1800s, William Millers attention was drawn
to Revelation 10. Coming toward the close of the seven
trumpets, this chapter had something to say about the period of Earths history just before Christs second coming.
That meant Revelation 10 must be speaking specifically to
the time in which he lived. Miller rightly saw that Revelation
10 built on Daniel 12 (Rev. 10:5-6, cf. Dan. 12:7). A sealed
book (Dan. 12:4) was now open (Rev. 10:1-2). In particular,
what had been sealed in Daniel were the prophetic time

periods, the 2300-day prophecy (Dan. 8:13-14, 26) and

the 1260-day prophecy (Dan. 12:7, 9). Since those time
periods, in Millers calculation, ended in 1798 and 18431844 respectively, he came to believe that Revelation 10
was talking about the very time period in which he was living, the last 45 years before Jesus return (1798-1843). If
the cleansing of the sanctuary was Jesus second coming,
the world was about to come to an end. The message was
electrifying, the biblical arguments were compelling, and a
great movement arose.
Everything was in place except the coming of Jesus itself. But it never happened. When Jesus did not come on
Oct. 22, 1844, people began to notice that the open scroll
in the prophecy would be sweet in the mouth but bitter in
the belly (Rev. 10:8-10). In other words, there were clear
indications in the text that God knew about The Great Disappointment before it happened, but the Millerites had completely missed that part of the prophecy. The purpose of
Revelation 10 was not to provide the date of the second
coming, but to galvanize the final proclamation of the gospel to the world (Rev. 10:11; 14:6-7). The Advent understanding of Revelation 10 had been perfectly clear and
compelling before 1844. But after October 22 of that year,
our church pioneers were forced to reread and rethink what
the Bible had to say about their era. Circumstances alter
cases.
The same thing can happen with the writings of Ellen
White. According to records at the 1919 Bible Conference,
the General Conference (GC) president was holding meetings in the city we know as Oslo. Attendees had come from
all over Scandinavia. One of the attendees was an extremely thin and pale colporteur based in Hammerfest,
which at the time was the northernmost city in the world.
Hammerfest rarely received any canned goods back then,
and fruits and vegetables were extremely expensive when
they arrived at all. A man on a missionary salary could not
afford either. So when A.G. Daniells (then GC president)
asked the unhealthy-looking man what he ate back home,
the man replied, Mostly the north wind.
The primary food options in Hammerfest at the time
were reindeer meat, fish, potatoes, and starchy foods such
as cornmeal mush. The colporteur was an ardent follower
of Ellen Whites writings, so he refused to eat any animal
products. Hence, he was extremely thin and pale, giving
evidence of poor health. Daniells advised the man to center
his diet on reindeer meat when he got back home. But on
the long boat ride home, the GC president began to feel a
bit guilty about his advice and how that might play around
the world. So when he returned to the United States, he
made the long trek across the continent to visit Elmshaven
to get Ellen Whites reaction.
According to Daniells, Ellen Whites response was:
Why dont people use common sense? Dont they know
that we are to be governed by the places we are located?
After further conversation, she was concerned enough to
wonder if her Testimonies for the Church should not be recalled and fixed upin other words, written in a way that
principles given to particular people in particular circumstances could not be absolutized in an unhealthy way. Circumstances alter cases.
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Continue from page 7

What does all this have to do with the
ordination of women? Is womens ordination an issue where circumstances alter
cases? Before I get into recent events and
the upcoming General Conference Session, let me share an important distinction
in biblical interpretation. When we say
that a particular teaching is biblical, I
draw a distinction between teachings that
are exegetically compelling and teachings
that are exegetically defensible. Some biblical doctrines are exegetically compelling.
In other words, the Bible raises the very
question we are concerned with and answers it with compelling clarity. Everyone
sees clearly what the Bible is saying and
either follows it or chooses not to.
On the other hand, many so-called biblical teachings are defensible from the
Bible, but not totally compelling on the
basis of the Bible alone. Such teachings do
not contradict the Bible but require reasoning, tradition, experience, history, science,
or other sources in order to be convincing.
For example, the Bible itself never addresses the issue of smoking. And no text
in the Bible tells us that tobacco is bad for
us or spinach is good. So while Christians
may ban smoking on the basis of biblical
principles, it requires nonbiblical (mostly
scientific and experiential) evidence to
make the case.
When it comes to womens ordination,
no text raises the question or addresses the
issue directly. All biblical arguments are
derived from texts addressing other issues.
So any argument from the Bible on womens ordination needs to be exegetically
defensible (not contradict the Bible), but it
can never be exegetically compelling in
the sense that it will oblige all to understand and accept the conclusion from the
Bible alone.
The interesting thing about the observations in the first half of this article is that
even exegetically compelling texts may
not always apply in a new situation. The
practice of circumcision in the church was
based on clear, compelling texts. The rules
on meat slaughter for Israelites in the desert were based on a clear, compelling
passage. The ruling in Acts 15 was direct
and clear; so was Pauls counsel regarding
civil authorities in Romans 13. But even
when the Bible texts are compelling and
clear, circumstances can alter cases. How
much more should this principle apply
when neither sides exegesis compels the
other?

Now I dont want to be misunderstood

or misquoted on this point. I am not saying
that anything goes. I am not advocating
situational ethics; I am not advocating that
all values and principles can be altered at
will. But I am pointing out that within
Scripture, there are clear examples of circumstances altering cases. We cannot take
the most straightforward reading and assume that it applies universally in all circumstances. As Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 10:15, when it comes to matters of
church policy, we need to consider time
and place and use common sense.
The hope a few years ago was that the
Theology of Ordination Study Committee
(TOSC) would come to a consensus on the
meaning of ordination and then on the
question of the ordination of women. If,
after two years of worldwide deliberation,
TOSC remained divided on the latter, the
committee would offer solutions that
would preserve the unity of the church in
the midst of such division. Heres what
actually happened.
On July 23, 2013, by a vote of 86 to 8,
TOSC adopted a very significant statement
on the meaning of ordination. It defined
ordination as the public recognition of
those the Lord has called to church ministry. According to the statement, ordination
confers representative authority rather
than special qualities or a role in a
kingly hierarchy. These are important
distinctions. In other words, ordination is
the churchs way of saying this person
speaks for us. It does not convey unique
power or place a person in a higher rank
than others.
Based on these points, the question
became whether or not the Lord has
called Adventist women to church ministry. Can women represent the church in
such roles? The reality is that, in many
parts of the world, women are being called
to ministry. They are serving in such roles.
Unless ordination has some magical effect
or promotes a kingly hierarchy, hiring a
woman to serve in church ministry is
simply the churchs modern way of saying
she speaks for us. Women serving in
ministry at the call of the church are as
good as ordained now.
As noted above, there is one aspect of this issue that I think doesnt
get enough attention. There is one
thing we should all be able to agree
on. The Bible never addresses the
question of womens ordination. No
Bible writer ever asks whether women
should be ordained. The issue simply

does not arise in the text. That

means that arguing the case for or
against womens ordination seeks expanded meanings from Scriptures addressing other issues. As a result, it is
rare for anyone to change his or her
mind on the subject based on Bible
study alone. And if the Bible does not
directly address a subject, then the
conclusion will be driven more by culture, tradition, and Gods providence
(the sense of Gods working in a particular context) than by Scripture.
An example of such a process in
the Bible is found in Acts chapters 815. Before Acts 8, Christians assumed
that the church was a subset of Judaism and would include only Jews. But
then Philip met the Ethiopian, Peter
met Cornelius, and Peter had a dream.
By Acts 15 it became apparent that the
Spirit was working
WWW.ATODAY.ORG 35 with Gentiles
and bringing them into the church without circumcision and without prior conversion to Judaism. The church then
took a fresh look at Scripture and saw
possibilities there that they had missed
before (verses 13-19). The mission of
the church and the guidance of the
Spirit, rather than the reading of Scripture, demanded the inclusion of the
Gentiles. You didnt have to become
Jewish in order to become Christian.
Through these experiences, the
church learned to read the Bible differently for a new situation. Circumstances alter cases.
As TOSC continued, the North
American Division of the Seventhday
Adventist Church produced a remarkable document in favor of ordaining
women (and the Trans-European Division produced an even larger document). By way of contrast, the divisions of the church opposed to womens ordination seemed to have done
little fresh study. The one exception to
this was the minority report from the
North American Division, which broke
some new ground. It suggested that
male headship was a core element of
biblical theology that limited ordination
to only men. This was a new theological approach that had never been promoted in Adventism before the mid1980s (introduced by Samuele Bacchiocchi) or even in Christianity in general before the 1970s. That doesnt
make it wrong by itself, but historically
Adventism is rightly skeptical of such

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radical theological departures.

I find it interesting that headship arguments were used
against the ministry of Ellen White in the 19th century. With
that in mind, the faculty of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary has concluded that headship theology
takes a dangerous turn away from the Adventist understanding of the Bible, and I think they are right.

Continue from page 8

Heres where the story gets interesting. Instead of one

solution to the division in the church on womens ordination, TOSC came up with three. In short, the first proposal
denies ordination of women to the gospel ministry and also
rescinds the ordination of women as local elders. If accepted, this proposal would return the church to the situation it
was in before 1970. The second proposal affirms that the
Bible supports the ordination of women to the gospel ministry but stipulates that it should not be imposed in regions
where it is deemed detrimental to the churchs mission. The
third proposal affirms that the Bible exhibits a pattern of
male leadership but that such biblical patterns can be
adapted to changing circumstances. Church entities that
feel their mission requires the ordination of women could
apply to do so. The second and third proposals allow circumstances to alter cases, but I dont think any of these
three solutions would lead the church to unity. We have
got to do better.
Two of these suggested approaches seem almost guaranteed to destroy the unity of the church. For example,
some favor a mandate that ordination to the positions of
both pastor and elder be restricted once again to males only. Since the church first moved away from that position in
the 1970s, the Western world has shifted enormously in
favor of full equality and inclusion for women. I remember
how, in the 1950s, nearly everyone assumed that some
roles should be filled only by men: physician, soldier, lawyer, police officer, truck driver, president of the United
States, and airplane pilot, to name a few. Today women fill
virtually all roles in the workplace, except ministry in some
churches. For the Adventist Church to step back to the
1950s would be devastating to the mission of the church in
the Western world (and in some other places). In my travels
to parts of the world that are opposed to womens ordination, I find the younger generation largely open to full inclusion, although the church leaders in those regions are still
reluctant. Another approach that would destroy the unity of
the church would be to mandate the ordination of women
worldwide. This would be devastating in many cultures,
where full inclusion of women is not yet the societal norm.
For the church to move ahead in those areas would unnecessarily complicate its ability to share the gospel at this
time. The Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia and South
America likely fall into this category. It would hurt the mission of the church to force a global vote on womens ordination either way. I am glad, therefore, that church leadership
is not promoting either of these approaches at the upcoming General Conference Session.
The problem with all three solutions is that they presume the Bible is reasonably clear on the subject, one way
or the other. Option No. 1 finds the Bible so clearly against

womens ordination that it not only takes the field, but

also pillages the opposition. Not a formula for unity. Option
No. 2 presumes that the Bible, rightly understood, teaches
womens ordination but that those who disagree can get
permission to continue their traditional practices. Not likely
to be accepted in many parts of the world. Option No. 3 presumes that the Bible models male leadership and suggests that those who want to ordain women can apply for
permission to do so.
Whenever you have dueling positions on a topic, each
claiming to be from the Bible, there are only two ways to
make sense of the situation. Either one side is perverse
(deliberately twisting Scripture to get their way) or else the
Bible is, in fact, unclear on the subject. I have good friends
and many former students on both sides of the womens
ordination debate. I cannot look either side in the eye and
say, You are perverse; you are deliberately manipulating
the Bible to get your way. To do so would be to pass a terrible judgment on people I have enjoyed as colleagues for
many years. But if the Bible does not address the question
of womens ordination, that fact should be the foundation of
the churchs position, rather than according victory to one
side or the other.
That leaves two options for attaining unity. One is being
proposed by Adventist Today Editor J. David Newman. He
asserts that ordination as generally practiced is a tradition
inherited from the Middle Ages. The word ordination, after
all, is derived from Latin; it is not found in the Greek of the
New Testament. Given that reality, Newman suggests we
not ordain anyone and solve the problem in that way. I
could live with such a position, but since the Adventist pioneers adopted ordination as a practical necessity rather
than a biblical mandate, something like ordination is probably needed in the church.
I suggest, therefore, one other option. The simplest approach to honor the Bible and yet preserve unity is to affirm
that the Bible does not directly address the question of
womens ordination. It neither mandates the ordination of
women to the gospel ministry nor forbids it. Neither party
would have to give approval to a theology they disagree
with. Lets just agree that the Bible doesnt directly address
the question and, therefore, differences of opinion on how
to apply the Bible to ordination today are to be expected.
When differences like this are the norm, unity requires decisions about ordination to be driven by other evidences than
the direct teachings of Scripture. Divisions and union conferences should be allowed to ordain women or not ordain
them, based on the leading of the Spirit and the demands of
mission in those territories. Circumstances alter cases.
Some might ask: Wont such a policy destroy the unity of
the church? Similar differences in policy did not destroy the
unity of the New Testament church. Others may question:
What will happen if an ordained woman is called to a union
that doesnt ordain women? The same thing happens now
with female church elders. If an ordained female elder
moves to a church that doesnt ordain females as elders,
she cannot expect to be an elder in that church (for better or
for worse).
Continue on page 10

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Continue from page 9

Likewise, if an ordained female pastor receives an invitation to pastor in a union or division that doesnt ordain
women, she must understand that her ordination will not be
recognized there and respond to the invitation with that in
mind. If an unordained female pastor is invited to a region
that ordains women, she should not be compelled to accept
ordination. While there will be relational challenges in the
process, the overall unity of the church need not be destroyed on the basis of such an arrangement. Practical arrangements in one local church need not affect arrangements in another. Circumstances alter cases.
The good news is that this very outcome is a real possibility this coming July. According to the document recommended unanimously by top church leadership and voted
overwhelming by the Annual Council, delegates to the 2015
General Conference Session can vote to allow division
executive committees, as they may deem it appropriate in
their territories, to make provision for the ordination of women to the gospel ministry. A yes vote on this question respects the years of study that have failed to settle the question on the basis of the Bible. A yes vote on this question
recognizes that the church in many parts of the world already invites women to fill pastoral roles, recognizing the
Holy Spirits call to them. A yes vote on this question
acknowledges that the Bible often allows circumstances to
alter cases. A yes vote on this question allows the mission
of the church to flow in each territory, while respecting differences in the way we read Scripture. As Ellen White herself often said, Circumstances alter cases.

Adventist Evangelist
Ron Halvorsen Sr.
Dies
Ron Halvorsen Sr., a New York gang member who gave
his heart to Jesus at age 17
and became a Seventh-day
Adventist evangelist who led
thousands of people to baptism, died on Friday after a
lengthy illness. He was 76.
His son, Ron Halvorsen Jr.,
announced the death on Facebook late Friday evening
and asked for prayers for his
family, especially his mother,
Carrol, and sister, Diane.
Im in transit to dad and
mom. Just before they closed
the door to the plane in Dayton, I received news that my dad has passed away, Halvorsen Jr. wrote.

Ron Halvorsen Sr.

Ron Halvorsen Sr. was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer that starts in the bone marrows plasma cells
and affects the whole body, in November 2014.
He had successfully fought off three previous bouts with
cancer and believed that he would land on his feet again,
making plans to travel to Norway and engage in other evangelistic activities, said Ruthie Jacobson, who prayed with
Halvorsen just hours before he died.
He was still working for the Lord, she said, adding that
he had recently told her that he still had a lot of work to do.
Condolences poured in from around the world, with
friends describing Halvorsen as humble, approachable, and
gracious.
Elder Halvorsen was one of the Seventh-day Adventist
Churchs great evangelists, and he preached the straight
truth of the Bible, said Ted N.C. Wilson, leader of the Adventist Church. It hit home to those who listened attentively.
A giant has fallen. A true giant, said John Bradshaw,
director and speaker for It Is Written, where Halvorsen
worked for more than a decade as an evangelist and prayer
coordinator after he retired.
Ron believed in preaching the power of the gospel,
Bradshaw said. It had changed him, and he knew it could
change others. And as God worked through Ron, it did so
many times.
Evangelist Mark Finley said Halvorsen left an enduring
legacy as a Christ-centered, fearless biblical preacher who
loved people and had a passion for evangelism that was
undimmed through the years.
He was consumed with the overwhelming desire to see
men and women, boys and girls won for Christ, said Finley, who called Halvorsen a dear friend whose life was intertwined with the Finley family for decades. He was one of
a kind but would to God we had 1,000 preachers like him
whose whole life was consumed with winning the lost.
He Prayed to the End
Jacobson, prayer ministry leader for the North American
Division who worked with Halvorsen for the past two decades, praised him for the way he merged evangelism and
prayer.
He would not do evangelism without a lot of prayer,
she said.
He prayed to the end, she said. Jacobson prayed with
Halvorsen often in the months after she attended a special
anointing for him in November. Halvorsen called her last
Sabbath morning and said, Please pray. I cannot breathe.
After Jacobson prayed, he said, Wonderful, I can
breathe. God is so good.

Continue on page 11
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10

Continue from page 10

He called her again for prayer on Friday morning, but his
voice was weak.
He had been going downhill all week, Jacobson said.
She prayed and promised to visit him in the hospital
where he was staying in a suburb of Orlando, Florida. She
arrived five minutes after he died.
Over 10,000 Baptisms
Halvorsen was born in a tough neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, and joined a gang as a teenager in the
1950s. But his life changed drastically when a teenage
friend, Jim Londis, helped lead him to Jesus when he was
17.
Halvorsen and Londis remained lifelong friends. Londis,
a former pastor of Sligo Church and former president of
Atlantic Union College, is now retired and living near Collegedale, Tennessee. He was traveling abroad and could
not be reached immediately.
After accepting Jesus, Halvorsen went on to serve as a
pastor in churches in Connecticut, Tennessee, and Takoma
Park, Maryland, as well as at Southwestern Adventist University in Texas.
But he will no doubt be best remembered as a powerful
evangelist with a remarkable personal testimony and an
active prayer life. He never forgot how God changed his life
as a young gang member on the streets of Brooklyn.
Ive held an evangelistic meeting every year of my life
ever since being converted at the age of 17, Halvorsen
said in an interview on It Is Written about two years ago. I
told my wife, Honey, if I die before Jesus comes, put a pulpit in my casket because Ill come up preaching.
He acknowledged to friends that he had lost count of
how many people he had baptized. His best estimate put
the figure at more than 10,000.
A Thrilling Story

baptized along with her son. Her son was my friend and
brought me to the Lord. I was baptized, and so far Ive baptized more than 6,000 people in my ministry. So it seems to
me youve had over 6,000 baptisms for that series you
held.
Oh, thank you for telling me that, the church leader
said, tears welling up in his eyes. They both shed tears as
they thought about the amazing ways that God works.
Relentlessly Lifting Up Jesus
Among the people whom Halvorsen baptized were
Finleys mother and sister. He was our local pastor in Norwich, Connecticut, when I was a college student, Finley
said. I looked forward to coming home to hear his powerful
Christ-centered sermons.
Years later, Finley and Halvorsen held evangelism series together.
One of my fondest ministry memories is holding an
evangelistic meeting with Ron in San Diego, California, alternating preaching and baptizing hundreds of seeking people, Finley said.
Halvorsen worked as an evangelist for the Carolina
Conference, Faith For Today, and the General Conference
in New York. He also taught homiletics at various colleges
and was ministerial director of the Mid-America Union. Before retiring, he worked as church growth director for the
Southern Union. He wrote two books, From Gangs to God
and Prayer Warriors.
In retirement, he conducted prayer seminars for the
North American Division and worked at It Is Written.
Bradshaw said the last evangelistic series that Halvorsen held was for It Is Written in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2013.
It was vintage Ron, relentlessly lifting up Jesus, Bradshaw said. If there was one thing Ron loved to emphasize,
it was Gods love and grace, Gods willingness and ability
to save the worst of sinners. What an amazing thing to be
remembered for.

A favorite story that Halvorsen told about evangelism

and baptisms occurred after he passed the 6,000 mark. As
the story went, he approached a church leader and said,
Elder, I understand that series you held in New York City
some years ago was a great success!

He said Halvorsens legacy would be the countless lives

that he had influenced with the gospel.

The church leader looked not only puzzled, but embarrassed.

to faith in Jesus after hearing Ron lift up Jesus, Bradshaw said. And that has happened countless times. All
he wanted to do was tell people about the love of God; that
they had hope in Jesus.

No, I think youre mistaken, he replied. That meeting

didnt turn out nearly as well as we had hoped.

The first person I told of Rons death told me how her

sister who been away from God for 35 years returned

Halvorsen smiled. Well, I think the number Im hearing

is that there were at least 6,000 baptisms in that meeting,
he said.
The pastor looked truly confused. Halvorsen had to
have his facts terribly mixed up. Halvorsen continued: You
see, elder, there was a woman at that meeting who was
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11

Changes to expect at the

60th General Conference
session.
Revisions to Church Manual Include
Matters on Discipline:
The Annual Council sends modified text to the General
Conference session for consideration.
Delegates at the October 2014 Annual Council have
agreed to amend some chapters of the Church Manual,
including adding new details to further specify the reasons
that members can face discipline.
The 13 reasons for which members can be disciplined
such as disloyalty to the church and physical violence
did not change. But the section that deals most closely with
extramarital relationships was expanded to include details
on specific definitions relating to sexual conduct. The current wording on that section states that members can be
disciplined for violation of the seventh commandment of
the law of God as it relates to the marriage institution, the
Christian home and biblical standards of moral conduct.
The Church Manual revision committee proposed to replace that statement with the following: Violation of the
commandment of the law of God, which reads, You shall
not commit adultery (Ex. 20:14, Matt. 5:28), as it relates to
the marriage institution and the Christian home, biblical
standards of moral conduct, and any act of sexual intimacy
outside of a marriage relationship and/or nonTconsensual
acts of sexual conduct within a marriage whether those acts
are legal or illegal. Such acts include but are not limited to
child sexual abuse, including abuse of the vulnerable. Marriage is defined as a public, lawfully binding, monogamous,
heterosexual relationship between one man and one woman.
Many of the modifications to the Church Manual were
minor edits. In one chapter, the outdated word ordinance
was removed from the description of the communion, footwashing ceremony and baptism. Another chapter added the
word discipleship to emphasize that local churches should
be more mission-minded to their members and the community.
A new section was added to recommend that church
boards have a mission-driven, broadly-based finance
committee or similar structure to review the budget process.
But the proposed amendments that drew the most attention from delegates sought to: tighten the wording on who is
allowed to address the congregation from the pulpit. The
proposal on unauthorized speakers sought to remove details about who other than credentialed ministers can speak
from the pulpit. The proposal also suggested omitting a line

that states that pastors who have been removed from

the ministry shouldnt be able to preach. The new wording
states: Only speakers worthy of confidence will be invited
to the pulpit by the church in harmony with guidelines given
by the conference. Individuals who have been removed
from membership or designing persons who have no authority from the church, should not be given access to the
pulpit.

How God Destroyed

a Wall of Suspicion
at Jerusalems
Temple Mount.
A group of Adventist filmmakers gets unprecedented access to a Muslim holy site.
Alexander Bolotnikov, PhD, is director of the Shalom Learning Center, North American Division Jewish Ministry, and
speaker for the Voice of Hope Media Center.
I cannot talk to these people! our Israeli tour agent
exclaimed after yet another person hung up the phone
as she tried to speak.
The tour agent had spent a long day calling various
phone numbers for information about whether we could
receive a permit to film at the Temple Mount, one of the
most important holy sites in Jerusalems Old City. But as
soon as she said, Shalom in Hebrew, the line would go
dead. I was among a group of Seventh-day Adventist theologians and filmmakers from the Voice of Hope media center in Tula, a city located two hours by car from the Russian
capital, Moscow. We flew to Israel in March with the ambitious plan to film a series of Russian-language documentaries about the life and teachings of biblical prophets.
Filming in the area around the Temple Mount was extremely important for our project. The theme of the temple
its significance for the people of Israel, its destruction as
a part of the covenantal curses, and its restoration as an
act of Gods mercy to His people permeates the books of
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. At the same time, the temple
has become a source of major confusion for Christians.
Many evangelical preachers and even theologians believe
that the temple has to be restored for Jesus to return. They
use a dispensationalist model for interpreting Scripture and

especially apocalyptic texts such as Daniel, Revelation, and

the last chapters of Ezekiel, which describes a reality that
was never fulfilled.
Adventists do not interpret the Bible this way. Adventists
do not read the last chapters of Ezekiel literally and wait for
a new temple to be built on the original Temple Mount.

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12

Continued from page 12.

We believe that many of the prophecies in Ezekiel were for a messianic age
that, due to Israels hardened hearts, never became a reality and have no bearing
upon end-time events.
To demonstrate this to viewers, we
wanted to film around the Temple Mount.
The task, however, was proving complicated. The four remaining walls of the
grandiose Herodian temple are controlled
by three different entities. The Southern
Wall is part of the Davidson Archeological
Park, which belongs to Israels Tourism
Ministry. The park contains the remains of
the unique Double and Triple Gates, also
known as the Huldah Gates, named after
the prophetess who lived during the reign
of King Josiah. Excavated by Benjamin
Mazar in 1967, the gates served as the
main entrance to the site for pilgrims who
visited annual festivals during the first
century AD.
The Western Wall is the holiest site for
Jews. Thousands of people Jews and
non-Jews alike come to this wall every
day to pray. But the commonly known
religious site and tourist destination represents only the tip of the Western Wall
complex. Its main treasures are found
inside a tunnel excavated by Charles Wilson and Charles Warren from 1864 to
1870. The tunnel follows the street level of
the first century, which lies about 30 feet
(9 meters) below the current level of the
Western Wall plaza where the tourists and
worshipers usually gather.
It exposes magnificent stones measuring 45 by 9.8 by 11 feet (13.7 by 3 by 3.3
meters) and weighing 520 metric tons.
The stones comprised the foundation of a
retaining wall that King Herod ordered so
he could create a level platform for the
temple complex. A significant site is found
150 feet (46 meters) inside the tunnel. It is
a sealed-off gate close to the place where
the temples most holy place, the Holy of
Holies, is believed to have been located.
The site of the Western Wall and its tunnel
are managed by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
The upper part of the Temple Mount
where both temples once stood is controlled by the Jerusalem
Islamic Waqf foundation, financed by
the Kingdom of Jordan. Arabs refer to the
place as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble
Sanctuary. The complex includes the
golden Dome of the Rock, which stands
on the supposed spot on Mount Moriah
where Abraham prepared to offer his son
Isaac as a sacrifice. The area controlled
by the foundation also includes the AlAqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site for
Muslims. The political situation around this

area is extremely difficult. Representatives

needed to be as wise as a serpent and

as innocent as a dove.

of the Waqf foundation did not wish to

speak to our Israeli tour agent because
any mention of the biblical fact that Solomons temple once stood on what is now
a Muslim holy site is taboo among many
Muslims.

I prayed and dialed the number.

Hello, I am from the Russian television
and radio center that is seeking permission to film, I said in English, remembering the negative reaction that the tour
agent received for speaking in Hebrew.
The voice at the other end was still not
very friendly. Do you understand that we
are under Israeli occupation here at our
holiest site at the Noble Sanctuary? he
said, speaking in English with a strong
Arab accent.

We realized that it would be nearly

impossible to obtain full access to the site
for filming. Only God with His intervention
could destroy the wall of suspicion. Our
crew from the Adventist media center
needed to prove our peaceful intentions
and political neutrality to all sides. While
the Western Wall Heritage Foundation
allowed us to film in the Temple Mount
synagogue, we did not even dare hope
that we would gain permission to film inside the Dome of the Rock. Non-Muslims
are not allowed to enter the buildings of
the Dome of the Rock or the Al-Aqsa
Mosque. In addition, it is forbidden to even
hold a Bible on camera in the tourist plaza
between the two buildings.
But we decided to ask for a permit to
film in the plaza. I would carry a microphone and make a few brief remarks during a quick walk through the area. Our
slim hopes that this request would be
granted vanished rapidly as our Israeli
tour agents repeated attempts to connect
and actually talk with anyone at the Waqf
foundation failed.
Suddenly, a new, unfriendly voice on
the phone informed our frustrated tour
agent that we would have to write a letter
to the foundation detailing the goals of our
project if we wanted to get the permit. We
also would need to submit the names of
every participant with copies of their passports to show that none were Israeli citizens.
This condition immediately left us without a vital helper. Vadim, born in Moldova,
is not Jewish but has Israeli citizenship
because he is married to an Israeli Jew.
We spent many hours in thought and
prayer before finalizing the letter explaining who we are and what we hoped to
accomplish. In essence, the letter stated
that we represented a Russian television
and radio center that produces spiritual
and educational programs targeting all of
Russia, which has both Christian and
Muslim populations. The proposed documentaries would cover the stories of the
prophets of old.
Seven days passed with no answer.
We lost hope and rearranged our shooting
schedule. Suddenly, while filming at the
Shepherds Fields around Bethlehem, my
phone rang. The tour agent excitedly told
me to call the Waqf representative, who
wished to talk to me personally. I really

God give me wisdom about what

should I say now, I prayed. Sir, I said
politely with my strong Russian accent.
We are Russians. We are filming a historical documentary about the prophets. We
are not interested in politics at all. The
voice on the other end mellowed.
OK, the man said. Come tomorrow
at 9 a.m. You will have three hours before
the beginning of our noon prayer. I will
see you at our northern entrance. I
could not believe my ears. The northern
entrance was open only to Muslim worshipers! Our crew praised God for the
news. The next morning we passed
through the Lions Gate of the Old City,
turning left toward a police checkpoint. At
the garden near the checkpoint, our group
was greeted by two Waqf representatives.
Both smiled at Vasily Nichik, the speaker
and director of Voice of Hope, who wore a
national Arabic headscarf that he had
purchased the previous day.
Although only Muslims are allowed
inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, nobody asked
us any questions. We took off our shoes
and followed our guide, who told us about
the building, its architecture, and its history. To my great surprise, my request to
speak on camera inside the mosque was
granted.
But the biggest prize lay ahead. The
guide took us through the courtyard toward the Dome of the Rock, where no
tourists have been allowed to enter since
1999. The dome of the octagonal rotunda
is located directly above a limestone rocky
formation that supposedly was the summit
of Mount Moriah. According to the Talmudic tradition, the Ark of the Covenant
was placed right on that very rock.
Indeed, God helped the filming crew
from the Voice of Hope media center obtain unique access to hard-to-reach areas.
The material shot there is currently being
edited. I pray that the resulting 10 halfhour documentaries featuring the life and
teachings of the biblical prophets will
bless thousands of Russian-speaking
viewers in the former Soviet Union and
around the world.

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13

Lo Richards

June 24

Colin
Humphrey

Rene
Lopez

Gwen
Belliveau

Rene
Lopez

Rene
Lopez

Adventurers
Investiture

Clara
Baptiste
Maria
Carcamo

TBD

Juan Carlos
Atencio

Roy
West

Away @
Simcoe

St.Thomas
380
Manor
Road

Juan Carlos
Atencio

Roy
West

Juan Carlos
Atencio

Away @
Simcoe

Woodstock
594754 Oxford
Road

519.680.1965

Alex
Golovenko

Jacov
Bibulovic

Away @
Simcoe

Campmeeting
broadcast
Alex
Golovenko

West London
471
Ridgewood
Cres

Fred
Stele

Jun
Cabulinas

Fred
Stele

Kevin
Magdamo

Sarnia
1620
Modeland
Road

TBD

Charles
Shad

Dirk
Zinner

Ramon
Ettienne

Leamington
220
Erie
Street N

Joseph
London

Marian
Kossovan

Bruce
Moyer

Windsor
Spanish
3325 Walker
Road

14

Matthew Feeley @
Capitol Theatre

Winston
Hurlock

Alex
Capote

Andrew
Orpana

Windsor
5350
Haig
Avenue

www.adventistlondon.ca

Dr. Tan

Dirk
Zinner

TBD

Mark Johnson

Chatham
20
Croydon
Street

Pulpit Speakers @ Western District Adventist Churches

London
South
805
Shelborne
Street

SDA South London Church

June
27

June
20

June
13

June
6

Clara Baptiste

June 17

London
Spanish
649
King
Street

P. Alex Golovenko

June 10

North London
800 Fleet
Street

Teresa Ferreira

Presenter

June 03

Date

PRAYING MEETINGS

Western District schedule of speakers, May 2015