Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Ricky Oliveras, Tom Evans
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000004
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00:07 Hi, my name is Ricky Oliveras
00:09 and I recently moved here to Washington DC. 00:12 Well, I've had to go through some really big changes 00:15 but that was nothing compared to a few years ago 00:17 when I lived in the country of Thailand. 00:19 We will talk more about that later. 00:21 Welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:28 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:30 Jesus gave us a command, 00:33 He gave us a mission. 00:36 Jesus said, go, go unto all the world, 00:41 telling them of His love. 00:43 This is our mission, this is our Global Mission. 00:53 Hello, I'm Gary Krause 00:54 and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:57 Every year, hundreds of Adventists, young and old 01:00 answer the call to mission service as volunteers. 01:04 Some may remember this 01:06 as the old student missionary program. 01:08 Today, it's known 01:09 as Adventist Volunteer Services or AVS 01:13 because you don't have to be a student 01:15 to serve as a volunteer. 01:17 But you do have to be willing to answer that call to service. 01:21 AVS calls include everything from teaching, 01:25 to physical education, from working on websites, 01:28 to creating videos. 01:30 On today's program, two former volunteers 01:33 will share some of their experiences. 01:36 We'll also be talking with pastor Tom Evans, 01:38 who directs Adventist Church planting through North America. 01:42 Pastor Evans lives and breathes church planting 01:46 and I think you will find his enthusiasm is contagious. 01:50 But first up, let's visit 01:52 a community near Atlanta, Georgia 01:54 where pastor Bill Levin and his wife Jan 01:57 step outside the church's four walls 02:01 to be salt and light in their community. 02:10 We were holding it in people's house 02:13 and then we're holding it here, outdoors, 02:15 when it was nice out. 02:19 I usually drive a pick-up. 02:20 It's in for repair, so I've got a rental car. 02:22 And I bring the battery and the power inverter 02:26 and run the light, 02:27 we'll meet about 10:30 in the evening. 02:32 I'm divorced. My parents are dead. 02:35 My sister is in Savannah. 02:37 I'm pretty much alone 02:39 and so this is something I look forward to every week. 02:50 We didn't come in here to tell them anything 02:53 or do it with our own agenda. 02:56 Our agenda was to hear them 02:57 and to hear where their heart was, 02:59 what their hurts are, their struggles are 03:01 and what was going on in their lives. 03:04 We're here in a community just north of Atlanta 03:07 and pastor Bill Levin and his wife Jan 03:10 have a ministry to the people in this community. 03:13 Bill for many years has helped coordinate church planting 03:16 and evangelism throughout the district, 03:19 but he had felt a special call to ministry 03:21 and he and his wife came here, 03:23 they didn't know what God wanted them to do, 03:25 they just walked the streets, 03:26 they prayed and slowly doors started to open. 03:29 They've started making friendships 03:31 and from there, he has built something quite beautiful 03:34 as lives have been changed through their ministry. 03:38 We were looking for where God was leading us 03:41 and so we started praying. 03:43 And we felt convicted that we needed to look 03:47 for different avenues in this community, 03:50 in Forsyth County because we live here. 03:53 One of the areas was this area, Crystal Cove. 03:58 When I was riding with a policeman, 03:59 he identified this area as a troubled neighborhood 04:02 and as he was talking about Crystal Cove, 04:05 we said, well, we've nicknamed as Crystal 'Meth' Cove 04:08 because we've busted so many drug labs here, 04:11 and there's so many challenges in the neighborhood. 04:15 He said most people in the homes here 04:17 have been in jail at one time or another. 04:22 Today, this small ministry has been given a vacant plot 04:25 in the neighborhood by the county government. 04:30 We'll end up with probably about 30-40 people tonight 04:33 who come here for song, for fellowship 04:35 and then we get into a study and just sharing the Word. 04:39 And the study is about drawing the people out 04:42 and letting them tell their story, 04:44 tell what's going on in their life; 04:46 tell their struggle, their issue and being heard 04:48 and being prayed over and loved on 04:52 and the people know that we're here to love them. 05:05 One of the first people Bill and Jan 05:07 met during their prayer walking was Priscilla 05:10 and she's now a vital part of the team. 05:14 I had never seen anybody care that deeply 05:19 about doing anything for the kids in this community 05:21 because they were looked down on so bad. 05:23 They were going to meet on the next Friday night 05:26 for a unique style of church. 05:28 Well, my husband had gotten turned away from the church. 05:31 He didn't want anything to do with it, 05:32 so at that time I was desperately seeking for God 05:35 to get us back into church 05:36 and 'cause we were about to go through a divorce 05:39 and I was begging God to get us back 05:41 to where we needed to be, 05:43 so that that divorce wouldn't happen. 05:44 I had never seen church done that way. 05:47 But it was the most beautiful thing, too. 05:49 It just-- I absolutely was drawn to it 05:51 from that first Friday night. 05:55 As I talked with Priscilla, 05:57 she told me more about 05:58 the mental, physical and sexual abuse in the community 06:03 and the resulting drug and alcohol addictions. 06:09 Everybody that I met are-- is just chained down. 06:11 And from what I found out, 06:13 after meeting them and talking with them, 06:15 is this has happened three and four and five generations down, 06:18 that these abuses are rampant in these families. 06:22 This community to me is like Esther in the Bible. 06:25 It's like, this Crystal Cove community is the Esther 06:29 that He has risen up to bring His favor down on 06:33 and to break the curses, the chains, 06:37 and the boundaries that are holding them. 06:40 Because it seems like everybody that I've met 06:42 is just chained down. 06:44 God has just brought all of us together 06:46 and He's bonded us 06:48 because we are from the same background. 06:50 And He is showing us 06:52 truly what Isaiah 61 and Luke Chapter 4 is, 06:55 that "He's come to heal the broken-hearted." 07:00 The church needs to be doing the work of Jesus. 07:04 The church needs to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 07:07 We need to be salt and light in our communities. 07:10 Crystal Cove is one community amongst thousands. 07:14 If the church would be out doing this, 07:17 what a difference we can make. 07:35 The Seventh Day Adventist Church 07:36 began as a church planting movement, 07:39 it has grown as a church planting movement 07:42 and it will only continue to grow 07:44 as it remains a church planting movement. 07:46 Do you think that's pretty close to the truth, Tom? 07:48 I think that's very accurate, 07:49 in fact, there is a quote from Ellen White, 07:51 "This is upon all who believe 07:53 God has placed a burden of raising up churches." 07:55 Yeah, so it's not something 07:56 that we just pass off to the experts, 07:58 it's something that we should all be involved in. 08:00 Yes, absolutely. 08:01 Now, Tom, you had a church planting 08:03 for the North American division 08:05 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 08:07 How central is church planting to the mission of the church? 08:11 Oh, I think some studies have indicated 08:13 that those denominations that are going to grow 08:16 are those that are planted in churches. 08:18 And so it's been part of how we started. 08:22 In fact, we were church planting movement 08:25 and we became distracted on the-- 08:27 in that call and became focused on settling pastors 08:30 over churches and so on. 08:31 But the initial pastors were Evangelist and church planters. 08:36 And so they would start the new congregation 08:38 and make sure it was established 08:39 and then quickly move on 08:40 and let the lay people care for it. 08:42 Now how did you begin getting involved in church planting? 08:48 When I attended seminary, 08:49 I enjoyed a class by Russell Brown 08:52 where church planting was one of the topics 08:54 and yet when I got engaged in ministry, 08:57 many of the demands of ministry became forefront 09:01 and some how, church planting didn't make it to the front. 09:05 And so, at one point, I got a call from Texas 09:09 to go and plant a church in North Dallas. 09:11 And so I went ahead and felt like 09:14 God was leading me to go and interview for that call 09:16 and went down and accepted a position 09:18 to plant a church in North Dallas. 09:21 Now did you go to a church planting 09:22 training school before you went? 09:25 No, just basically what I had learned at seminary. 09:29 One of the characteristics of a church planter 09:32 is kind of an entrepreneurial spirit 09:34 and I knew that, that was something 09:35 that was part of my makeup, my DNA so to speak. 09:38 So it was very attractive to me. 09:39 I was always thinking about 09:40 where can we start something new 09:42 and so that was a good fit for me. 09:46 Now tell us how the experience went 09:48 and how did you start? 09:49 What did you do? 09:50 Well, it didn't go as I planned. 09:53 Somehow, it had been veiled for me that the church 09:56 that was going to be giving birth 09:57 to this congregation was not actually very excited about it. 10:01 I don't know how I missed that, 10:02 when I went down and interviewed. 10:04 But I began to visit with the elders of the church 10:07 and it was after a couple of visits, 10:09 I met with an elder who told me, 10:10 I don't want to hear another word about church planting. 10:13 So that was quite a devastating thing for me 10:15 because I just approved to myself and my family 10:18 and had relocated to Texas 10:20 thinking I was going to be planting a church 10:22 and so that became a process of working with that Mother church 10:27 to create a climate of condition in the church 10:29 that was conducive to launching without a congregation. 10:33 And so, you worked with that church 10:35 and then you did start to plant some new ones right. 10:39 We, in fact yeah, we did make some excellent progress. 10:42 About 14 months later in an elders meeting, 10:45 the same elder walked out of the meeting, 10:46 he said this will be first of many church plants that we do. 10:50 And so we were able to launch our first church plant, 10:53 in an opening Sabbath, we had 550 people in attendance. 10:57 That's pretty impressive. 10:58 Well, it was a miracle really because the Mother church 11:02 decided to close down on Sabbath morning 11:05 to celebrate the birth of their daughter congregation. 11:07 Isn't that great? It was a very high Sabbath. 11:09 Fantastic. So what happened from there? 11:12 I think we have some photos of some other church plants 11:15 that came from there. 11:17 In fact, in a period of 11 years 11:21 that particular church planted four congregations. 11:24 In addition, there were other churches 11:26 that were influenced in the area to plant 11:29 and very soon we had 11 new churches in the area. 11:33 Fantastic. 11:35 So what happens is it catches on, 11:38 it's almost contagious in the growth. 11:39 Yes. 11:40 Now tell me-- share an experience of someone 11:44 who came to know Jesus through the church plant. 11:47 I remember a lady, 11:48 this is a very unusual circumstance that happened. 11:51 One of our pastors was visiting in her home 11:54 and all of a sudden there was another voice 11:55 that began to speak in the room 11:57 and they realized that there was some demonic activity 12:00 that was going on with this lady. 12:02 They purposely scheduled her baptism 12:04 as the very last baptism of the day, 12:07 just to make sure that nothing would happen that way 12:09 but she had actually been convinced 12:12 that she needed to kill her own children, by the devil. 12:16 And by her this church plant happening, 12:20 her responding to evangelism the church was doing, 12:22 her life was completely transformed by Jesus. 12:24 And it was really exciting to see 12:26 when Jesus got a hold of her heart. 12:29 Oh yeah, wow. 12:30 Now church plants, the statistics show us 12:34 that they tend to go a whole lot faster 12:36 than established churches. 12:38 Tell us about that. 12:40 One of the interesting things that we noted, 12:42 we began to do some studies 12:43 to see what was the result 12:44 that was taking place from this church plants 12:47 that we were doing and we discovered 12:49 over that eight year period of time 12:52 that we had a 11.6 percent annual conversion group, 12:57 baptismal growth over a 1,000 people, 12:59 almost 1,100 people baptized during that period of time. 13:03 And I believe it's because church planting 13:05 when it's done in a healthy way 13:08 is really focused on reaching the harvest, on growing. 13:12 And many times in our established churches, 13:14 we get focused on maintaining 13:16 and just continuing what we have been doing 13:18 and when you are focused on growing, 13:20 on reaching the harvest, reaching lost people, 13:22 I believe God blesses that in powerful ways. 13:25 When you are starting a new congregation, 13:27 you don't have to worry about fights 13:30 among the church members or divisions or maintaining 13:34 what you have got but you got nothing 13:35 or let's say, you're 100% on the community. 13:37 Yeah, well, the devil will still attack. 13:39 Church planting has plenty of challenges 13:41 that come in each direction 13:43 simply because you're going into enemy territory. 13:46 Well, it's also very stressful for the church planter, 13:50 this is not a easy work. 13:52 No, it's not and you need a prayer support team 13:54 and you need to be grounded spiritually yourself 13:57 and realize that it is God's work, 13:59 it's not about us. 14:01 God is the one that sustains you and strengthens you for it, 14:04 because you will be challenged. 14:06 Now is this only for pastors 14:08 or can lay people get involved in church planting? 14:11 Oh, it's I believe we want to do all the above. 14:14 We need to plant a lot of churches 14:15 and so, I'm for pastors planting churches 14:17 and for lay people planting churches 14:20 and for us working together 14:22 to see a jet of light in every city and village. 14:25 Fantastic. 14:26 Tom, thank you very much for joining us today. 14:28 And viewers at home, 14:31 please pray for those who are involved in church planting. 14:34 It is a challenging, difficult mission field 14:37 to start a new congregation and also pray to see, 14:41 maybe God is calling you to be involved in some way 14:44 in starting up new groups of believers for Him. 15:25 I'd like to welcome Ricky Oliveras. 15:26 Welcome, Ricky. Thank you. 15:28 Now, Ricky, you're usually behind the camera 15:30 rather than in front 15:31 as a video producer for Adventist Mission. 15:34 Mission is important to you, it's been part of your life. 15:38 Why is mission important to you? 15:41 Mission is very important to me because I've-- 15:43 it's something that I've learnt to kind of grasp 15:46 as I've as I've know gotten older, 15:48 it's something that and my church was really important 15:51 and members kind of implanted into me 15:53 and as I've done it more, I've seen the value in it 15:56 and how reaching the people, 15:58 you know, in various parts of the world 16:00 and even in US is important. 16:02 You know, we're supposed to lead people to God, 16:05 it's our call from God. 16:07 Now, when you are a college student 16:08 you decided that you would accept a call 16:11 to service to go to Thailand. 16:15 What made you decide to start to do that? 16:16 I mean, I'm sure you had a fairly comfortable existence 16:19 as a college student? 16:20 Yeah, I enjoyed college very much. 16:22 I felt very comfortable there 16:24 and somebody mentioned you know being a student missionary 16:27 to me one time 16:28 and to me that was something I was like 16:31 oh, you know that will be cool, 16:33 but I don't know if I really want to do that. 16:35 But I decided to pray about it and the more I prayed about it, 16:38 the more I was convinced that 16:40 you know God really wants me to go out there 16:42 and do this thing. 16:44 I'm really glad that I did it, it had a huge impact on my life. 16:47 In what way? 16:49 I think the biggest way that it had an impact on me 16:52 is I went over to Thailand 16:54 thinking I was gonna be doing video production you know 16:58 because that's where the call was for and God worked on me 17:03 and kind of broke my focus in a way and showed me that-- 17:08 yeah, I was going to do video production 17:10 but also God wanted me to do different things 17:12 like medical missionary work 17:15 which by no means I have any kind of qualifications for, 17:18 you know, God is the one who qualifies 17:20 you to do all these things and just I'm not a preacher 17:25 but God wanted me to speak His words 17:27 to the people of Thailand. 17:28 So I found myself really doing more than I thought 17:33 I was gonna do and if I had known 17:36 that before I would have been very nervous about it 17:38 but at the time, it was really a blessing to me 17:41 to come back knowing that I'm capable of doing anything 17:45 that he calls me to do. 17:46 Excellent, now I saw you working in the rice fields there, 17:50 tell us about that. 17:51 Yeah, like I said there are a lot of different ways 17:55 that we witness to people 17:56 and one of the ways was just going 17:59 and working in the fields with the people 18:02 and just kind of getting on their level and saying, 18:04 you know, I'm not better than you. 18:06 I am willing to come out here and just work with you 18:10 and just be there and spend time with you. 18:13 So that's one way of reaching people 18:16 is just spending time with them, 18:18 getting to know them, you know mingling with them. 18:20 Fantastic. 18:22 Now did you have the opportunity to see anybody accept Jesus 18:27 or see anybody's lives change while you were there? 18:30 Absolutely. 18:31 We saw definite work in the people of Thailand. 18:37 Sometimes, you go somewhere and you plant a seed 18:41 and you don't really see the result of the seed 18:42 which is which is fine, 18:44 you know, you have to be patient, 18:45 you know God is working in His time. 18:48 But I was fortunate enough to see people accept Jesus 18:52 and even a few people were baptized 18:55 and that's extremely rewarding to see 18:58 that type of work being done. 19:00 The result of your work where people decide that 19:04 Jesus is their savior and they accept Him for that. 19:08 Somebody watching this program may think-- 19:10 maybe I should try being a volunteer. 19:12 What would you say to somebody who asked you, should I do it? 19:17 I would, my first suggestion is to pray about it, 19:20 pray a lot about it and God is calling everybody 19:23 in some way or another 19:25 and so if, if you feel that that is the way 19:28 that God is calling you, pray about it 19:30 and you know, talk about it to somebody else 19:34 and go to the Adventist Mission website 19:38 and look for information 19:39 and see how they can get involved 19:42 in different parts of the world 19:43 or even in their-- in their area. 19:46 Now, in the intro to this program you mentioned 19:49 how you moved to Washington DC 19:51 and there was a cultural change but was nothing like 19:53 when you went to Thailand, 19:54 what sort of cultural adjustments 19:56 did you have to make? 19:58 Yeah, there were so many different cultural adjustments 20:01 to go through because Thailand and the US 20:03 are completely opposite countries. 20:06 There's food, there's little cultural things 20:10 that you need to be aware of when you go such as-- 20:13 you are not supposed to point your feet at somebody 20:16 or something little like that can offend people 20:18 so you need to kind of do your research, 20:21 look to see how you can relate to the people 20:25 and see what the best way to reach them is, 20:29 but there are so many different cultural differences 20:32 you know, we're not used to-- 20:33 to their life style and so it takes time to adjust 20:37 but it's also a thrill in a way to be able to get to know 20:42 the people there and how they live 20:44 and after, after being there 20:46 you know I learnt to really love it 20:48 and appreciate their culture in different ways, 20:51 so I enjoyed it very much. 20:54 Yeah, often I talk to people 20:55 who've been involved in mission service 20:56 and they talk about yes, I was able to minister 20:59 but the people ministered to me as well, I learnt. 21:02 What did you learn from the people in Thailand? 21:04 Oh, I learned many things. 21:06 I learned patience, it was a one big thing you know 21:09 because not everybody is on time. 21:12 So we have to wait for people and that was one big thing 21:15 but I just learned you know the people of Thailand 21:18 are extremely kind 21:20 and it's nicknamed the land of smiles for a reason, 21:24 people are very kind and so, they taught me, 21:27 you know, I can be very-- I can be friendly to people 21:31 I don't even know. 21:32 You know, I grew up in the New York area 21:35 so to me people are on the go, busy, 21:38 you know, back and forth all the time, 21:41 not really paying attention to the people around them 21:43 but going over there, complete strangers smile at you, 21:48 they are friendly and it was just really nice thing to learn. 21:53 Fantastic. 21:54 Ricky, thank you so much for sharing with us today. 21:56 Thank you. 21:58 And to our viewers at home, 22:00 maybe after listening to Ricky talk about his experiences, 22:03 you maybe asking perhaps, perhaps I could be a volunteer. 22:08 Well, perhaps you could. 22:09 Go to adventistmission.org, 22:12 have a look at the various opportunities 22:14 that are available around the world. 22:16 It may be teaching English as a second language in Korea, 22:19 and maybe going to South East Asia. 22:21 Maybe God has some experience 22:23 that He wants you to be involved in for Him. 22:26 And while you're at our website, 22:27 make sure that you take time 22:28 to look at the videos, the photos, the stories, 22:31 the inspiration of volunteers, missionaries, church planters, 22:34 Global Mission Pioneers 22:36 and please pray for volunteers around the world. 22:40 It can be lonely, it can be discouraging, 22:43 it can be very challenging 22:44 but it's very encouraging for them 22:46 to know that there is a family of people around the world 22:49 who are praying for them in their mission. 22:54 She used to convince her friends, 22:57 you know, not to go to the center 22:59 or not to go to church 23:00 you know when the teacher would invite them. 23:19 Kelly McClurg was a social work graphic design student 23:23 at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee 23:25 when she decided to go to Thailand 23:27 as a student missionary with Adventist Volunteer Services. 23:31 I actually didn't decide, 23:34 God kind of decided that for me, you can say. 23:36 Kelly had friends who were going to Thailand 23:39 and they kept asking her to go with them. 23:41 No, I would see them every so often, 23:42 but they would ask me, 23:44 'Kelly, do you want to come to Thailand with us next year' 23:47 and 'I think you should come.' 23:49 But Thailand was a long way from school and home 23:53 and Kelly wasn't sure 23:54 that's where God wanted her to be. 23:56 I guess I couldn't really say no 23:59 because I hadn't actually prayed about it, 24:01 and I didn't know for sure if God didn't want me to go. 24:04 So as I started praying about it, 24:07 God kept revealing to me in subtle ways 24:09 and then not so subtle ways 24:11 that this is where He wanted me to be. 24:13 So I said, okay, I'll go. 24:16 Kelly ended up in Bangkok 24:18 at an Adventist outreach center in Thonburi. 24:21 That's where she met Yuwi. 24:23 Yuwi's parents ran a shoe store 24:24 and were well known in the community. 24:26 Yuwi used that influence to try 24:28 and stop her friends from going to the center. 24:31 Sometimes, she would even come on Sabbaths 24:34 and you know or during school and, and just to see, 24:38 you know, who came to class. 24:40 So that after they left, then she would go talk to them 24:43 and say, you know, the center is not really a good place. 24:45 Maybe you shouldn't be going there. 24:47 But the Holy Spirit and people like Kelly 24:50 were having an effect on Yuwi's heart. 24:53 But for some reason, she would keep coming. 24:56 And but also every time she would come, 24:59 like if she came to church you know, 25:02 she would keep hearing the Bible 25:04 and hearing you know Jackson teach about God. 25:07 And she would hear the sermons and then she would also 25:11 you know, feel the love around her 25:13 of the other church members and the people 25:15 and so you know, we have all seen 25:19 a huge change in her life and her heart. 25:23 Kelly and Yuwi became friends. 25:26 They enjoy talking together, shopping, just walking 25:29 and their favorite, eating ice cream. 25:31 Since I'm a people person, I've really enjoyed 25:35 just getting to know people across the city. 25:38 You know, and different types from different parts of Thailand 25:42 and from, you know, different backgrounds, 25:45 every person is so different. 25:47 While in Thailand, Kelly's job was to visit people 25:50 whose lives have been changed 25:51 by the various church planting projects across Bangkok. 25:55 Kelly would write their stories 25:56 to share with others so they could see 25:58 how the Holy Spirit was touching hearts 26:00 and changing lives in this vast city. 26:04 Kelly returned to her home and school in the Untied States 26:07 and Yuwi, her story is still being written. 26:10 Please pray for Yuwi and people like her 26:12 in Bangkok and around the world. 26:20 Most Adventist volunteers would tell you 26:22 that their time of service was life changing. 26:26 And maybe it could be for you too. 26:28 To see currently available volunteer positions 26:32 all around the world, just visit adventistmission.org 26:36 and choose serve and then volunteer openings. 26:39 Among your own outsight, 26:41 be sure to look at all the resources and stories 26:44 for making mission come alive for your church or family. 26:48 Each quarter, Adventist Mission produces 26:50 an inspiring collection of video mission stories 26:54 and reports for the Adventist Mission DVD. 26:58 If you live in North America 26:59 and you would like a free sample copy of this DVD, 27:02 just call or visit our website 27:05 and ask for Adventist Mission DVD 27:08 or Offer Number 303. 27:10 Don't forget to clearly state your name, full address 27:14 and be sure to mention Adventist Mission DVD 27:17 or Offer 303. 27:20 Again to receive your free sample copy 27:23 of the Adventist Mission DVD, 27:25 just call the toll free number on your screen 1800-648-5824 27:31 and ask for the Adventist Mission DVD 27:34 or Offer 303. 27:36 Or you can just visit our website 27:38 at adventistmission.org/offer 303. 27:43 Well, that's it for today's program 27:45 and I hope that you've been inspired 27:47 and maybe even challenged by what you've seen and heard. 27:51 Thank you again for your continuing support 27:53 of Global Mission with your prayers, 27:55 your financial support and your personal involvement. 27:59 Until next time, I'm Gary Krause, God bless. |
Revised 2014-12-17